Chris Morris says there are no plans in the works for a Proteas return, despite his mind-blowing selling price at the recent Indian Premier League auction.
Morris, who was recruited for an estimated R32 million at the IPL auction a week ago, hasn’t played for South Africa since late 2019.
The recruitment price sparked discussions about his international future, but Morris says he has had no discussions with anyone at Cricket South Africa about a return to the international fold.
‘My last conversation was just before the World Cup with (former national coach) Ottis (Gibson),’ Morris said. ‘That’s where the decision was made for me to go and play leagues around the world and to follow what I feel is best for me as a cricketer and best for me in my career.’
Morris’ record in the national T20 side is ordinary. He averages just 14.77 with the bat across 13 innings, with a highest score of 55*. That innings accounts for just shy of half his total runs – 133. With the ball, he averages 20.50 with an economy rate of 8.39 across 23 innings. This is decent by international standards.
Morris said the Proteas have a wealth of talent to select from, making his plight more difficult. ‘We’ve got the world’s best batters and the world’s best bowlers and when you’ve got guys that can fill in a position in the team and you can mix and match for certain conditions, it’s quite easy to swap the guys around,’ he said.
He added that he accepts the Proteas’ selectors have adopted a selection philosophy that centres around all-rounders, and is aware that he isn’t part of the plans at this stage.
‘The conversation then was that I am going to move on and that was the end of it. That was a while ago, the last time I had a conversation about that.’
Morris wouldn’t commit when asked if he was available for selection. ‘That’s a difficult question,’ he said. ‘I will have to have that conversation when it happens. There’s a lot of chat saying if someone comes (to ask me). No one has come. For now, I am focused on playing for the Titans, that’s my first port of call.’
