Ahmedabad, February 22 – India's first Super 8 match in the ongoing 2026 T20 World Cup against South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday will be more than just a rematch of the historic 2024 T20 WC Final. It will also see an unusual family face-off outside the 22-yard line, where Albie and Morne Morkel, former South Africa teammates and brothers, will find themselves on opposite sides.
Albie Morkel, who played one Test, 58 ODIs, and 50 T20Is for South Africa, is serving as the Proteas' consultant coach for the Men's T20 World Cup. His younger brother Morne, a veteran of 86 Tests, 117 ODIs, and 44 T20Is for South Africa, is currently India's bowling coach.
Ahead of the high-profile encounter, the two sat down together and made it clear that, despite the family dynamic, their objective remains unchanged: to help their respective teams secure victory.
In a video shared by the BCCI on Sunday, Albie outlined his responsibilities within the South African setup and even took credit for Morne's rise as a bowling coach.
"Specialist consultant" is a mouthful. In short, I have to figure out ways to beat Team India on Sunday. That's it. We've played some cricket together, and now we're both in coaching roles. We actually coached together in our first stint; that's where I shaped him to be a very good bowling coach. Showed him how to do it," Albie said.
Morne, meanwhile, reflected on the demands that come with his role and how he manages the pressure. "I think as a bowling coach, there's always a lot of pressure on you. But we're quite lucky that in our group, there's a lot of experience. There's a lot of people that can assist and help you in that mental load," he said.
Albie admitted that family banter is inevitable when the brothers line up on opposite sides, but stressed that professionalism comes first.
"He works for India, I work for South Africa, and we both have the same goal; to win that game on Sunday. The family will do the banter. We’re very calm and professional about how we go about these things. Even during our playing days, we hardly spoke about games or moments, on or off the field," Albie added.
However, Morne said he never displayed much of a competitive streak against his elder brother. "I'm three years younger than Albi, and I was the baby in the house. So in terms of bowling and just doing what I was told, that's how we went about things. So there was no competitive edge from my side," said Morne.
Albie, on the other hand, recalled how those backyard battles frequently ended in disputes and sometimes in tears. "I remember most of the backyard games ended up in either argument or tears because, as you know, in a backyard game, you're never out. And as a bowler, you know, the batsman is always out. So there are always arguments around that. I remember him crying a lot because he was the youngest," Albie recalled.
Meanwhile, India and South Africa are both coming to the contest as unbeaten. Both teams will aim to continue the winning streak as they start their Super 8 campaign on Sunday evening.
