Morris hoping for redemption in India

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South Africa fast bowler Chris Morris is eager to return to the limited-overs sides against India with a bang, after he missed the New Zealand series due to a poor trip to Bangladesh.

Morris was not in a healthy place during the series against the Tigers, playing through a groin injury, as well as the death of his grandfather, and his two matches were disappointing. He came home feeling down and nearly out.

But after a break away from the game, missing out on the Black Caps, he feels he has regained his 'passion' and is eager to show what he can do in India, where he has had plenty of success in the IPL over the years.

Morris said: "It was a really tough journey. I've come back from a bad tour of Bangladesh that I don't think I ever should have gone on but I was never going to turn down an opportunity to play for my country, so it was a lot of mental stuff that went on behind the scenes.

"I had to find my reason for playing cricket again so I took a couple of days off, went to the bush, went hunting, played a lot of golf and found my passion again.

"It sounds horrible to say that as a young cricketer but I had a lot of things going on in my head that I needed sorted out and luckily we got them sorted. It was about going back to the drawing board.

"When I was a youngster it was very easy to say why I wanted to play cricket and that was because I wanted to play for my country, and having coming back from that tour doing so badly I thought maybe I was not good enough to play for my country.

"I had a couple of dark days but there is always motivation when you put that jersey on."

One thing he focused on while away was thinking about his batting, and hopes he'll be able to prove that he's more than a slogger in the death overs, and is a genuine all-rounder. His first class batting average is nearly 31.

He added: "When I first got into the Lions side, I had to bat at No.6 or 7 and bowl fast – that was my role. So automatically batting takes a back step and you become that slogging tailender.

"I feel I have underachieved in four-day cricket very horribly. I know my bowling will always be number one and that will get me into most teams but I'd love to be a genuine allrounder.

"I lost sight of my goals with batting recently and now, this is the hardest I have ever worked on my batting. I am hitting a lot of balls, I am doing a lot more drills which I absolutely hate but we've got to do them, so I am working hard on my batting.

"Then, if my bowling is not up to standard on the day, hopefully my batting will lift me, and if my batting is not up to standard, hopefully my fielding and if I am not a good fielder, I will carry the drinks as well."

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