Morkel: Rowles' JSK signing was years in the making, not an Auction gamble

Joburg Super Kings coach Albie Morkel has revealed that the franchise has been tracking new signing Jason Rowles' progress for more than a year.

Rowles hit the headlines at the Season 5 auction when the Super Kings won a bidding war for the St David's Marist Inanda matric learner at R2.9 million. It surpassed the amount former JSK captain Faf du Plessis was re-signed for and was the highest bid at the mini-auction.

But according to Morkel, it was not a knee-jerk purchase, with the franchise having actively monitored the 18-year-old all-rounder.

“We actually had a camp last year in South Africa where we invited quite a few young players from around the country, just to get a first-hand view of what was available in the market,” Morkel said.

“He was there and he impressed us. Obviously, he was in Grade 11 at school last year and is finishing school this year, so he's still very young.

“He's been playing in that Emerging side in the CSA T20 competition, where he's doing well. As I mentioned, he's still probably untested at the top level, but skill-wise, with what he brings through his left-arm spin and top-order batting ability, I do believe that in the next two years he's going to be a very valuable asset for us.”

Morkel also stressed that the Super Kings will not place too much expectation on the teenager's shoulders and that the franchise will guide him through his formative years at the Wanderers.

“SA20 is a very big franchise tournament. People will start to take notice now and follow him. With that comes a bit of extra pressure, but we'll make sure, from a franchise point of view, that we mould him into the player we think he can become. That's very important.”

The Joburg Super Kings contingent including head coach Albie Morkel, on the back of thorough research, had laser focus on beating MI Cape Town to the signing of 18-year-old Jason Rowles.

Past experience has also guided the Super Kings in their handling of younger players, and Morkel hopes the presence of experienced leaders such as Du Plessis and West Indies legend Kieron Pollard will aid Rowles' development.

“If you look at our signing history with Under-23 spots, I think the first two editions featured Under-19 players and, across the four seasons, none of those players really stayed on with us,” Morkel said.

“So they found it difficult to find their feet in the tournament. I really do hope that Jason can be a similar guy to Lhuan-dré Pretorius and just explode. But with that, you're going to have to look after him.

“Clearly, this is a high-pressure tournament, but he'll be surrounded by four international captains on the field. I mean, James Vince, Faf, the captain of South Africa, Pollard, who captained the West Indies, and Jason Holder. So there's a lot of experience around him, a lot of guys who have experienced most things you can experience on a cricket field.” 

The Super Kings have also revamped their entire backroom staff with Allan Donald (bowling coach) and Pierre de Bruyn (fielding coach) joining Morkel at the Wanderers. 

Fast bowling legend Donald has previously worked with Durban’s Super Giants in Betway SA20.