Morne Morkel joins Perth Scorchers as replacement for Chris Jordan

The South Africa seamer will be available from the final group match against Sydney Thunder as well as the knock-out stage

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Perth Scorchers have added Morne Morkel to their ranks as a replacement for Chris Jordan for the closing stages of the Big Bash League.

Jordan has been included in England's one-day international and T20 squads to face South Africa next month.

Morkel will join up with his teammates next week with a view to playing in the final preliminary stage match against Sydney Thunder on January 26.

He will also be available for the knock-out stage if Scorchers progress. They are currently fourth in the table, with five wins from 11 games.

Thirty-five-year-old Morkel has never previously played in the Big Bash League but has franchise cricket experience in the Indian Premier League, the Caribbean Premier League and Mzansi Super League.

The ex-South Africa seamer took 544 wickets during his international career, which ended in 2018 when he opted to join Surrey.

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Head coach Adam Voges said: "Once we knew CJ had been picked in the England side we knew that we would need a replacement for the back end of the tournament and Morne was always at the top of the list.

"He brings a wealth of experience and has performed really well particularly in the Mzansi Super League in South Africa where he was one of the leading wicket-takers.

"He was really keen to come on board. Luckily I’ve played a bit with Morne over the years so we’ve got a good relationship and he was super excited to get involved in the Big Bash.

"We’re going to get Morne to Perth next week and he’ll be around the group for a week or so before he plays so that will be great for him to get to know everyone and hopefully make that transition a bit smoother."