“Brings additional pressure, but they’ll handle it”: Chris Morris on big IPL deals for Starc, Cummins

Former South African all-rounder Chris Morris, who was once the most expensive player in the Indian Premier League (IPL) history, hailed the record-breaking bid of Australian pacer Mitchell Starc by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the 2024 season, saying that it will add some pressure on him but the pacer will be able to justify it with his performances and experience.

In a history-making move, Starc was bought by KKR for a whopping Rs 24.75 crore just hours after his skipper, Pat Cummins, breached the Rs 20 crore mark after being bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), becoming the most expensive player in the history of the IPL at the auction in Dubai held in December last year.

“It is excellent. The bidding is out of our control. If you compare cricket with what other sports are paying, it is great that the best players in the world are being paid the highest. It is an excellent achievement but also brings additional pressure. But they (Cummins and Starc) can handle that pressure, that is why they were bought for so much money. They are performing really well right now and are red-hot,” said Morris.

On the Cape Town pitch for the second Test between India and South Africa, which ended in just two days with 642 balls being bowled, making it the shortest Test ever, Morris said that it is completely fine if one designs pitches to suit the home teams and their personal performances.

He also said that Indian skipper Rohit was right in expressing hypocrisy of the other side when they are fine with getting a home advantage in their own territories but criticise other countries, like India, for making pitches suiting the hosts, for example, the spin-friendly pitches in India.

“Rohit hit the nail on the head. He said that he does not mind Test pitches like these if people do not criticise turning pitches in India. If you want to prepare more pitches suitable for you and your personal performances, then why not? I would have loved to see some more cricket, some more contest. I would have loved to see Dean Elgar go out with a win, but that is cricket, someone has to lose,” he added.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) recently gave an “unsatisfactory” rating to the Newlands pitch in Cape Town following a low-scoring second Test between India and South Africa. On India’s tour to South Africa as a whole, which saw India win the T20I and ODI series and draw the red-ball leg, Morris said that both the sides bring the best out of each other.

“That brings out the best in both of us if we play against each other. It was a great series, equal at some stages. Sometimes, conditions were different. We could have had more in Cape Town. But you have to put the ball in a right area like Indians did, they got better of us. Best against the best, it was an excellent series,” said Morris.

On the ongoing season two of SA20, Morris said, “We are into game two and I think what’s most exciting for me, apart from the cricket, is that the crowds are pulling in. That is one thing that South Africans have always been good at, is supporting sports. But with this league, especially last year, the stadiums have been absolutely packed and the energy around cricket again in South Africa is excellent…The cricket’s been very good…”

Morris also said that it cannot be compared to the IPL but it has done wonders for South African cricket since its first season last year. “You cannot compare anything to IPL it is the biggest league in the world and that is why everybody wants to play in it. So to compare them is a bit difficult. But for South Africa, it is done wonders for our cricket…”