[7] Aged 19, Morkel began his first-class career with a match for Easterns against the touring West Indian cricket team in South Africa in 2003 and 2004.

[8][9] In this match his first class career began by delivering 17 no-balls in a five-over spell costing 54 runs against West Indies' batsmen Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga and Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Morkel bowled with consistent pace and accuracy, finishing with 9 wickets at 13.33 and an economy rate of 6.00, considered excellent in this form of the game.

The host nation may have gone on to be eliminated from the tournament, but Morkel's bowling, along with the big hitting of his brother Albie, was unquestionably one of their biggest positives to emerge from the event.

[15] Morkel was subsequently selected for the tour of Pakistan, but unfortunately suffered a broken bone in his foot in the warm up match preceding the first test.

In October 2012, alongside Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander, Morkel was part of a South African pace attack that bowling coach (and former Test cricketer) Allan Donald called the best the country had ever produced.

[16] In August 2017, Morkel was named in a World XI side to play three Twenty20 International matches against Pakistan in the 2017 Independence Cup in Lahore.

[19] Morkel earned the call up to the first-tier Titans for the final game of the SuperSport Series season, and took three for 90 on the first day,[20] which he improved to five for 122 before their opponents Western Province Boland declared.

[21] Morkel went on tour to Pakistan with South Africa Academy in August 2005, taking six wickets in two four-day matches, which did not have first class status.

He was responsible for one of ten four-wicket-hauls in the Standard Bank Cup that season, taking four for 41 as the Titans bowled out Cape Cobras for 189 to win by 19 runs and secured a top-two finish in the league stage.

He was then given all six games for the Titans in Pro20, taking four wickets with an economy rate of 7.63 – largely increased by 60 runs in six overs in his last two matches, the last of which, the semi-final, had been shortened to a 7-over affair.

[22] Morkel has played in England for Kent County Cricket Club and began the 2008 season deputising for Rana Naved at Yorkshire.

Rumours that he had been part of the second round of auctioning for the Indian Premier League, and signed a $60,000 contract with Rajasthan Royals, initially put Morkel's move to Yorkshire into doubt.

[25] However, in November 2020, Morkel ended his stay with Surrey, saying it was "no longer feasible" to spend prolonged periods of time away from his family due to the COVID-19 pandemic.