England vs South Africa, 2nd Test: No-ball king Morne Morkel refuses to alter run-up

London: South Africa paceman Morne Morkel has ruled out tweaking his run-up despite becoming the embarrassed owner of a dubious distinction for overstepping the crease in Test cricket.

When Morkel bowled Ben Stokes for 44 off a no-ball in the Lord`s Test against England, it was the 13th time that the lanky 32-year-old was denied a wicket by his tendency to plant his front foot beyond the popping crease.

"World record, thank you. Somebody needs to hold it. It`s 13 wickets I`d like to have in the bank but it`s not to be," Morkel told reporters ahead of the second test beginning on Friday in Nottingham.

"It`s not acceptable. It`s a controllable thing."

The respite for Stokes did prove costly, though not in terms of runs. The all-rounder added 12 more to his first innings total before falling to Kagiso Rabada, whose over-exuberant send-off invited a one-match suspension.

"It`s a rush of blood to the head, wanting to create something with the older, softer ball. Maybe I ran in too quickly and just over-strode," Morkel said.

The tall paceman`s long limbs are perceived by many to be behind his frequent overstepping but Morkel felt it was more down to rhythm and altering the run-up was not the solution.

"I need a lot of rhythm and timing is crucial for me," he said. "The more I`ve bowled in a test match, the better my timing and my feel at the crease was.

"I can`t make my run up longer, I can`t make it shorter. I`m just going to stick with it.

"The only thing I can do is keep on working on that; work on getting the foot behind the line," Morkel added.

England lead the four-test series 1-0 with matches at The Oval and Old Trafford set to follow the Trent Bridge contest.