Albie Morkel is one of the biggest hitters of the ball in the South African line-up particularly in the slog overs. His ability to send the ball out of the stadium is well known and he established a reputation in the IPL for being a dangerous hitter. When he took guard against New Zealand in the Super Eights match at the Kensington Oval, South Africa needed some big runs at the end to carry them to a respectable total. Herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers laid the platform with a stand of 42 and it set the stage for Morkel to step on the gas.
The bowlers lost the plot when Morkel walked in and he made a mockery of the low full tosses dished out by the bowlers. He began with a mis-hit off Vettori which cleared the rope but the rest was out of sheer power. Using the crease, he ensured he got under the ball and muscled it powerfully straight down the ground. Three of his five sixes came in a single over from Tim Southee, which leaked 21 runs. The bowlers erred by bowling too full to Morkel, in his hitting area, while he was hardly tested by the short delivery.
He ensured he lasted till the 20th over, and he was lucky to have AB de Villiers at the other end, who was well-set. The pair added 72 in 6.2 overs to take the initiative away from New Zealand.