Chris Morris says that Ottis Gibson helped him rectify his bowling action, as the all-rounder aims to return for the Ram Slam T20 Challenge.
Morris pulled out of all action for the Proteas since the lower-back injury that he picked up in the fourth Test in Manchester. The all-rounder aims to make his return to action for the Titans when the Ram Slam T20 challenge kicks off on Friday.
‘I’ve had a few tweaks in my action that Ottis has changed. I had to iron it out because it wasn’t good enough – simple as that,’ Morris told Espncricinfo at the Ram Slam launch in Johannesburg.
‘I think in striving for a bit of extra pace, there was some twisting in my action. I’ve got quite a bad kick-out with my left foot before I land. I was getting lazy and doing quite a lot of twisting, which caused a lot of pressure on my lower back and inevitably caused the injury.’
The 30-year-old says that changing his action was vital for his recovery and future as a quick bowler.
‘If I didn’t get injured I still would have had to change my action. In bowling, you like to work in straight lines, and I was working along the wrong lines. That’s where the injury came along,’ he explained.
‘We can’t re-scan the same injury because we’d see the same thing the whole time. So we work on symptoms – if there is pain you stop, otherwise you play. I’ve got to trust the gym and rehab, all the things I’ve been doing behind the scenes since my injury happened.’
Gibson confirmed last month that he would take over as bowling coach for the Proteas, relieving Charl Langeveldt from his duties in the role. Despite injuries to Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morris, Gibson has remained confident of their return.
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‘It’s always good to know that the coach is backing the guys who aren’t playing, especially with injuries because that’s part of the game,’ Morris said.
‘If a youngster is better than me, he must play, it’s as simple as that, but I’m always going to be fighting for my spot because playing for South Africa is what I want to do. If I never play for South Africa again it’s cool, but I’m going to give it my best shot. I’m obviously champing at the bit. It hurt me quite a lot to see the guys running around this morning and playing soccer, so I’ve got quite a lot of motivation.’
Steyn was outspoken about having a bowling coach as head coach of the side, and Morris shared similar sentiments regarding Gibson’s appointment.
‘I’ve only had a week and a half with him and he’s been excellent. In England he had the fortune of working with the best new-ball attack in the world, in my opinion. If they’ve rubbed off on him, as a South African bowling attack we’re going to be richer for it,’ Morris said.
‘He’s been doing this for a long time and has a lot of experience. It’s quite clear what our plans are as a team. We’re in a happy space, and it’s quite exciting.’
Photo: Philip Brown/Getty Images
