T20 World Cup 2026: 'Life after this tournament will go on' - Morkel brothers reflect on sibling rivalry ahead of India vs South Africa Super 8 clash

Published - 22 Feb 2026, 12:33 IST | Updated - 22 Feb 2026, 12:49 IST

With India set to face South Africa in their Super 8 opener of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium will witness a rare sibling rivalry between Morne Morkel and Albie Morkel, once teammates for South Africa, now find themselves on opposite sides of the clash. In a video shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the Morkel brothers were seen meeting at the stadium ahead of the encounter.

Morne, who represented South Africa between 2006 and 2018, is now India’s bowling coach under head coach Gautam Gambhir. A tall right-arm pacer, Morne enjoyed a celebrated international career, playing 86 Tests, 117 ODIs, and 44 T20Is, and finishing with over 500 international wickets. He became the fifth South African to claim 300 Test wickets and was part of India’s support staff during their victorious 2025 Champions Trophy and Asia Cup campaigns.

Albie, the older of the two, was a white-ball specialist. A right-arm medium pacer and aggressive left-handed batter, he played one Test, 58 ODIs, and 50 T20Is for South Africa before retiring in 2019. Reflecting on their childhood, Albie recalled their backyard battles.

"I remember most of the backyard games ended up either in arguments or tears. As you know in a backyard game, you are never out. As a bowler, the batsman is always out. So there were always arguments around that. I remember him crying a lot because he was the youngest. The older brothers just told him what to do," he said.

Banter & brotherhood to meaning business come match-day!Presenting Meet The Morkels ahead of today's #INDvSA battle! 👌👌#TeamIndia 🇮🇳 | #T20WorldCup | #MenInBlue | @mornemorkel65 | @albiemorkel https://t.co/zZuxdpSonD

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Notably, Morne explained his role as the bowling coach, stating he provides clarity and confidence to India’s bowlers before matches.

"As a bowling coach, there is always a lot of pressure on you. But we are quite lucky that in our group there is a lot fo experience, there is a lot of people that can assist and help you in that dugout," Morne said.

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Both brothers shared that their goal is to win the clash on Sunday and also revealed that there will be no hard feelings between them after the match.

"We both have the same goal to win on Sunday. Sitting in the dugout, what I can control is very limited. So my job starts here tonight, to help these guys be clear, to provide that clarity, to give them back the confidence to perform. From there, you can only hold onto your seat, or chew your fingernails. Since our playing days, on and off the field, we hardly spoke about games and moments. Life after this tournament will go on and he is my family," Albie added.