Former South African cricketer Albie Morkel recently praised Nepalese cricket fans for being the best among the Associate nations. Morkel, who has represented the Proteas in three T20 World Cups, said that the Nepalese crowd was one of the best he had ever experienced.
Speaking to reporters after a match, Morkel, who is an assistant coach of the Namibian cricket team, said, “I am very surprised and really enjoyed the tour. Probably the best crowd that I’ve experienced with associate cricket. You don’t often get a crowd like that, and they appreciate good cricket”.
“If I’m not wrong, ten or 15 thousands were present, and the nice thing about them is when we score runs or someone gets a hundred, they clap for us as well. It wasn’t just one-sided support, and it’s a great experience for us and for the players to play against a crowd like that”, Morkel added.
Albie Morkel comes from a cricketing family, with brother Morne playing alongside him in the national team, while his father, Albert Morkel, played domestic cricket for South Africa. The 41-year-old has played 58 ODIs and 50 T20Is for South Africa. A medium-fast bowler and hard-hitting batsman has played the franchise leagues across the world and is also remembered for smashing 28 runs in an over against Virat Kohli in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2012.
Namibia wrapped up the Nepal tour on Monday with a 43-run loss against Scotland. The Eagles remained winless in Nepal, having lost all four matches. Namibia are in third position in the table with 37 points from 34 matches. Namibia are eyeing a win in the remaining two matches, while Nepal expects them to lose and win the remaining fixture of won to get a spot in the World Cup Qualifiers.
The passion of Nepalese cricket fans was on full display during Nepal’s fixture as the home side grabbed a victory in all three matches, chasing 270+ scores on all three occasions.
Nepal is set to play the final match of the series on Tuesday against Scotland.
