Morkel returns to bolster attack for opening Test

Morne Morkel returns to bolster a ‘well-balanced’ Standard Bank Proteas attack for the first Test match against New Zealand at the University Oval in Dunedin on Wednesday. Morkel, who last played a Test match in January 2016, has been put through his paces throughout the week, and looks hungry and determined to return following a lengthy lower-back injury. Proteas captain, Faf du Plessis, says the experience and consistency Morkel offers will be invaluable, especially with the bounce he extracts and the tricky angles he gets across towards the left-handers. He and Vernon Philander are the only bowlers to have played in the last series in 2012, and their collective effort of 111 Tests and 401 wickets is a priceless value-add to an inexperienced line-up. Philander was the leading wicket-taker in that series, taking 21 scalps at a remarkable strike-rate of 29.0, while Morkel finished with 10 wickets at an economy of just 2.53, including 6/23 in the final drawn Test in Wellington. The Proteas enter the series with confidence and a desire to continue with their unbeaten series record this season.