Chris Morris says he has committed himself to CSA, despite time on the sideline hampering his chances of ODI and Test selection.
The 29-year-old, speaking to the media at the Audi Batting Masterclass in Clifton on Tuesday, brushed away the idea of a Kolpak contract.
‘There’s been a lot of noise around Kolpak, it has not only hampered me but has hampered a lot of other people; it’s a personal thing and is up to the person,’ said Morris.
‘I had a good sit down with Mark Boucher (Titans coach) and chatted to him about the Kolpak situation. There were no offers or anything, just a lot of noise around it. For me, I have committed myself to CSA and I want to play cricket for my country. I’m going to give it a full go and at the end of the day if I don’t play more cricket than I have now, then so be it, then at least I can say I tried my best to get there. If I don’t get selected for the Proteas I will go back to the Titans and fight for my spot back in the national side.’
When chatting about the possibility of playing Test cricket Morris responded confidently.
‘I will always look to play Test cricket, It’s what I want to do and what I want to play because for me it’s the best format of cricket. If I don’t play it again, so be it, but I will never stop trying to get there.’
Morris spent three months on the sideline after suffering a knee ligament injury in September, but has since fully recovered and is hungry to once again represent his country. He was adamant that the injury has not affected his technique and it was more the pain that bothered him. Morris last played for the Titans in the Sunfoil Series on 12 January, where he took five wickets and scored 39 runs.
‘I have since played one four-day game in Benoni and everything looks good, I went through the game unscathed, but I would have loved to score more runs,’ Morris said.
‘The wonderful thing about cricket is that it finds a way to make you miss the game, and for six weeks I missed playing. For recovery, I spent time with the family and played some golf to keep my hand-eye coordination in.’
With the ICC champions trophy approaching in June, Morris expressed his thoughts on the importance of the tournament and its sentimental value to him.
‘I know it sounds cheesy but It’s another opportunity for me to play for my country and a chance for us to win a trophy. Every trophy we play for, we give it everything. The best way is for us to focus on every single game.’
Morris confirmed that he will be going back to India to play for the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL.
