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Tag: Chris Morris

  • We need to win big moments in the game: Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Chris Morris

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Star all-rounder Chris Morris says inability to win the big moments of a game is costing Rajasthan Royals dearly after the former champions suffered a seven-wicket loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the ongoing IPL.

    “Look, at the moment we are not performing in the big moments of the game, when the big moments come either we are batting or bowling, I don’t think we are winning them,” Morris said at the post-match press conference on Monday night.

    Opener Jason Roy and skipper Kane Williamson struck confident half-centuries to guide SRH to a comfortable win over RR, who are still in the play-off race.

    “There was a very big moment in our first game, which we won in the last over. But apart from that we haven’t, by any means, played our best cricket. I thought our first half from the last game was really really good and we were outdone by Delhi (Capitals) bowling attack.

    “We should pull up our socks a little-bit when big moments in the game (come),” he said.

    The loss also meant RR has slipped to the sixth spot in the pecking order with eight points from 10 games.

    Asked if their play-off chances have become tougher after last night’s loss, Morris replied, “Absolutely.”

    “I think there are four teams that are vying for probably that last play-off spot and some seriously good teams that are vying for it. That is very tough.

    “Listen it is the best tournament in the world, it is the toughest tournament in the world and it has got world class players in it, so every game is going to be tough.”

    Morris said RR now will need to grab every single point to push their case.

    “It is crunch time now. It is pretty simple, we need to start stringing some important results together and like I keep saying win big moments in the game. We need to grab every single point that we possibly can now to push for that last spot,” he said.

    The South African also refused to react to legendary Sunil Gavaskar’s comment about his side, saying “that is his opinion.”

    RR will take on a rejuvenated Royal Challengers Bangalore on Wednesday here.

  • IPL 2021: As senior player, my role is to keep other players calm, says Chris Morris

    By ANI

    DUBAI:: Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Chris Morris on Monday said as an experienced player, his role would be to keep all the players within the franchise calm as the side gears up to lock horns against Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season.

    Rajasthan Royals will resume their campaign in IPL 2021 on Tuesday as the side will lock horns against Punjab Kings at the Dubai International Stadium.

    “We have so many experienced players in the team, I will be at mid-off and mid-on, I’ll be having a chat with the bowlers. If we pick anything, we always relay that to captain Sanju. As a senior player, the role is to keep the players calm and I think there is pressure on players, you always need an idea,” said Morris during a webinar organised by Rajasthan Royals.

    “Yeah, I will be doing it anyway, whether the likes of Jos Buttler or Ben Stokes are available or not, I have been doing that my whole career. I will be helping Sanju. It is a part of the gig I suppose,” he added.

    Rajasthan Royals is currently at the fifth position in the IPL points table. The side would now look to spring a collection of wins to race ahead in the marathon for playoffs.

    “I think match-readiness is probably going to be an issue. Same as IPL last year in Dubai, guys took a couple of matches to get rustiness out of their bones. I think the fortunate thing for us is that people have been playing a lot of cricket, especially overseas players. I have been pre-season at home, I think match-fitness is always the best type of fitness,” said Morris.

    “I think a few guys will struggle to get that rustiness off. It is natural and it is going to happen. This is the nature of the beast with COVID-19. So, I think it will be the case initially, some guys have to shake off the rustiness but that is part and parcel of the game. You have to find a way and make it work,” he added.

    When Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson was asked about the X-factor in his side, he said: “Something secretive which we are keeping a surprise for the fans. You will get to know tomorrow when we play. You have to wait and watch.”

    “I think the first time it has happened, playing IPL for so many years so we have dealt with different challenges before. Earlier, the challenge was to come out of the COVID-19 times and play the IPL. This time we are keeping under a separate challenge, we played seven matches in India and now we have come here to play the rest of the tournament. We know how to tackle challenges as a team,” he added.

    Talking about whether Liam Livingstone can be used as a bowling option later in the season, Sanju said: “I think, yes maybe. It is very good to have a few people to have around who can chip in with some overs. Livingstone, Riyan Parag can do both the roles. We might see Liam bowl or we might not.” (ANI)

  • IPL amid pandemic: It’s our responsibility to give people some reason to smile, says Chris Morris

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Chris Morris says the COVID-19 catastrophe in India has been discussed in his team multiple times and the players can feel the pain that the pandemic is causing in its deadly second wave here.

    India is reeling under the second wave of the pandemic with cases rising by over 3 lakh everyday, a crisis compounded by shortage of some crucial medicines and oxygen supplies.

    Morris said it is “difficult to comprehend” what is happening.

    “As a team, we have been talking about it quite a lot over the last couple of days. We have seen how badly this pandemic has taken over the specific parts, if not all of India,” Morris said at the post-match press conference after his side defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets here on Saturday.

    “It is quite difficult to comprehend what is happening. It is a responsibility for us to play with smiles on our faces because we have a reason to smile and that we are healthy and get to play cricket.

    “We hopefully get to keep people happy on the other side of the screen.

    Whether we winning or losing, it is an opportunity to keep people smiling, if that gives people a reason to smile, then we are doing well as a sport,” he added.

    The South African commended the front-line workers all over the world who are working tirelessly to help everyone in these tough times.

    “So as a team, we just want to say to the heroes out there, the frontline workers all over the world, to be doing what they are doing day in and day out for 24 hours a day is just incredible.

    “As a team, we are feeling the hurt for everyone around the world.”

    Morris starred with the ball against KKR, registering the impressive figures of 4/22 before skipper Sanju Samson (42) and compatriot David Miller (24) led the former champions to their second victory this season.

    “Our execution was a lot better today, hitting the length, bowling yorkers and slower balls.”

    The Royals had entered the game after a humiliating 10-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore.

    “It’s very easy to go down the dark route of thinking you are not good enough when you get beaten by 10 wickets but sometimes you need to tip your hat off to the opposition,” said Morris.

    “As a team we had a good discussion on what was our motivation. The first seven overs, we were having an absolute blast, it was very entertaining. The guys had a good time.”

    Morris, who became the most expensive buy in the IPL auction history in February, is happy to repay the faith the Royals have put in him.

    “Quite nice to contribute. It’s nice to reward some of the faith placed in me,” he added.

    The Royals currently occupy the sixth spot in the points table. They will next take on Mumbai Indians next on Thursday in Delhi.

  • IPL 2021: Morris went for a lot more money than I would have ever paid for, says Pietersen

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen feels there is a lot of pressure on South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris after he became the most expensive buy in this year’s mini-auction ahead of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

    In February, Morris became the most expensive player at an IPL auction after he was bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 16.25 crore. Pietersen feels Morris isn’t worthy of the price at which he was bought in the IPL auction.

    “This is going to sound harsh, but he went for a lot more money than I would have ever paid for, to be completely honest. I just don’t think that he’s worth that kind of number. I think there’s pressure on him,” said Pietersen on Star Sports Live Feed Select Dugout

    “He’s not a first choice for the South African side. So, I think we’re expecting too much. There’s too much talked about him. I don’t think he’s the kind of guy that’s going to consistently deliver. I mean this with the greatest deal of respect,” he further said.

    “There’s nothing special about what he does, and if he does run-in, he’ll run-in for two games. And then he’ll go missing for a few games and it’s not the kind of thing that you should be seeing. He has the attributes,” Pietersen added.

    While Morris did finish the game against Delhi Capitals, the all-rounder failed to leave a mark on Thursday against RCB. Morris scored 10 off seven balls and leaked runs at an economy of 12.70 which eventually saw RCB registering a thumping win, thanks to Devdutt Padikkal’s unbeaten 101 and skipper Virat Kohli’s 72.

    Rajasthan Royals will next lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Saturday.

  • IPL 2021: I’m a slogger that swings everything I can, says Chris Morris

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: After playing a quickfire knock of 36* off 18 balls, Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Chris Morris said that he is a slogger who can swing anything as he plays so much golf.

    Rajasthan Royals recruited Morris for a whopping Rs 16.25 crore ahead of this season. Commenting on his price tag, the South African all-rounder said he is getting paid to slog.

    David Miller’s 62-run knock followed by Morris’ cameo helped Rajasthan Royals defeat Delhi Capitals by three wickets here at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

    With 27 needed off the final two overs, Morris stepped up to the occasion to take his side over the line with two balls to spare. He hit two sixes off Kagiso Rabada’s penultimate over and accumulated 15 runs from it.

    “I thought Delhi bowled really well, David played an unplayable knock. T20 cricket anything can happen in the end, fortunately, went our way in the end,” Morris said after the game.

    “There are guys who get paid to bat and there are guys who get paid to slog, I know what I am. I am a slogger that swings everything I can, I play so much golf,” he added.

    Morris said Delhi bowled better than Rajasthan and hit the right areas in the game.

    “Dew plays a part here at the Wankhede, it does start to skid on. They hit the back of a length a lot better than we did. We got a few wickets early on, but they hit their lengths way better than we did. Our guys are experienced in taking pace off the ball and executed really well today. If we had to chase 140 odd when we got here, we would have taken it, so happy to get over the line,” he said.

    When asked about the single denied in the previous game, Morris said, “I was gonna run back no matter what to sacrifice because Sanju was hitting it so sweetly. Sanju was hitting it like a dream, I wouldn’t have been too upset if he had hit the last ball for a six.

    “The last game, the close game, we took so much out of that as a team. Chasing 222, it’s quite a daunting task. For us to get as close as we did on the day, we took a lot out of that first game of ours. Guys took a lot of confidence into the game, but it’s quite nice to know that we can win a game basically from anywhere after being down in the dumps. That’s T20 cricket,” he added.

    Earlier, an inspired bowling performance by Jaydev Unadkat, Morris, and Mustafizur Rahman helped Rajasthan Royals restrict Delhi Capitals to 147/8 in the allotted twenty overs.

    Delhi kept on losing wickets at regular intervals, and although skipper Rishabh Pant played a knock of 51, Rajasthan managed to maintain a stranglehold over the opposition.

    Rajasthan Royals will play now against Chennai Super Kings on Monday. (ANI)

  • Miller’s 63 and Morris’ unbeaten 36 power Rajasthan Royals to sensational win

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: David Miller’s combative 43-ball 62 and Chris Morris’ timely onslaught (36 not out) powered Rajasthan Royals to a dramatic three-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in their IPL match, here on Thursday.

    Opting to bowl, RR pacer Jaydev Unadkat took three wickets for 15 runs to restrict the Capitals to 147 for eight.

    Miller then anchored the Royals’ chase but it was Morris whose blitzkrieg took Royals home with two balls to spare.

    It is Royals’ first win of the season.

    The Royals were 17 for 3 in the fourth over and 42 for 5 at the halfway mark. They needed 58 from the last five overs and 12 from the final over.

    Morris ended the run chase with a six off Tom Curran.

    Royals’ run chase was, however, in tatters as soon as it started.

    Chris Woakes removed openers Manan Vohra (9) and Jos Buttler (1) in a space of three balls in the third over.

    In the next over, Kagiso Rabada dismissed the dangerous Royals captain Sanju Samson — the only centurion so far this season — with Shikhar Dhawan taking the catch at the slip.

    Shivam Dube (2) perished while playing an unnecessary uppish shot at a length ball off Avesh Khan with Dhawan taking his 78th catch of the IPL.

    The same pair worked in tandem two overs later with Dhawan taking his third catch of the day after Riyan Parag (2) had miscued an Avesh Khan delivery.

    The Royals were 52 for 5 at the halfway mark and by then the asking rate has gone up to nearly 10 an over.

    But, Miller and Rahul Tewatia (19) kept the Royals in the hunt with a 48-run stand for the sixth wicket before Rabada came back to give the much-needed breakthrough for the Capitals.

    Earlier, a brilliant three-wicket burst from pacer Jaydev Unadkat helped RR restrict DC to 147 for eight.

    Unadkat (3/15 off 4 overs) dismissed Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane to trigger DC’s top-order collapse from which they never recovered fully.

    Captain Rishabh Pant’s blistering 32-ball 51, studded with nine fours, was not enough as DC could only post a modest total after being put in to bat.

    DC made a disastrous start as they were two wickets down for 16 runs in the fourth over with Unadkat dismissing the opening duo of Shaw (2) and Dhawan (9) cheaply.

    Shaw was the first to go in the second over, caught at backward point before Dhawan perished while attempting a ramp shot with RR captain and wicketkeeper Sanju Samson taking a stunning diving catch to his right.

    Ajinkya Rahane’s (8) underwhelming IPL form continued as he offered an easy caught and bowled chance to Unadkat with a slow ball that clocked just 110km per hour.

    DC were 36 for 3 at the end of power-play but the slump continued as Marcus Stonis (0), foxed by a Mustafizur Rahman (2/29) delivery, checked his shot at the last minute to offer a running catch to Jos Buttler.

    The run rate started increasing once captain Pant came to the crease but still DC were 57 for 4 at the halfway mark.

    Once he had a full measure of the pitch, Pant opened up and hit four boundaries, three of which were consecutive, to take 20 runs from the 11th over bowled by Rahul Tewatia.

    Pant, in excellent form this year, reached to his fifty off 30 balls in the 12th over, with a four off Mustafizur but he was run out the next over with bowler Riyan Parag’s throw crashing onto the stumps.

    Delhi were 88 for 5 then.

    After Pant’s exit, Tom Curran gave some respectability to the DC innings with a 16-ball 21.

  • South Africa’s Morris becomes most expensive IPL auction purchase, goes to RR for 16.25 crore

    By ANI
    CHENNAI: South African all-rounder Chris Morris on Thursday became the most expensive player at an IPL auction after he was bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 16.25 crore.

    At the ongoing mini-auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Morris entered with a base price of Rs 75 lakh. Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) both showed interest before Rajasthan Royals made a belated entry after RCB pulled out at Rs 10 crore.

    Bidding continued between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals and the South African all-rounder was finally sold to the Royals.

    IN PIC | Chris Morris to Glenn Maxwell, check out the cricketers who walked away with bank-breaking deals in IPL Player Auction 2021

    The fee smashed the record Rs 16 crore paid for Yuvraj Singh by Delhi Daredevils in 2015.

    India all-rounder Shivam Dube was also picked by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 4.4 crore during the auction while England batsman Dawid Malan was bought by Punjab Kings for Rs 1.5 crore.

    Also, Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) while England’s all-rounder Moeen Ali was picked by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for Rs 7 crore.

    Follow IPL Player Auction 2021 Live here

    Shakib had his base price as Rs 2 crore, but both KKR and Punjab Kings made bids for him, and in the end, the Bangladesh all-rounder was sold to KKR for Rs 3.2 crore. All-rounder Kedar Jadhav went unsold in the auction as of now.

    Earlier, Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell was picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 14.25 crore. He had his base price as Rs 2 crore, but a bidding war unfolded between RCB and Chennai Super Kings.

    Karun Nair who had his base price as Rs 50 lakh did not find any takers and he went unsold quite early in the auction. England batters Alex Hales and Jason Roy who had their base price as Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 2 crore respectively also did not find any takers and he also went unsold.

    The IPL “mini-auction” this year is witnessing 291 players going under the hammer as England pacer Mark Wood withdrew from the auction at the end moment.

    All these cricketers have been shortlisted by the eight franchises. A total of 164 Indian players, 125 overseas players, and 3 players from associate nations are up for grabs in the mini-auction.