South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn finally got a game for the Gujarat Lions in the IPL. Playing against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Steyn bowled two overs, gave away 17 runs and wasn’t bowled again by captain Suresh Raina as Gujarat lost the match by 10 wickets.
In the larger context of the IPL, Steyn bowling two overs after being benched during the start of the tournament might not have a great impact but for the South African, it is an indicator of how much his stock has fallen over the past year.
A couple of seasons ago, Steyn was the most complete fast bowler in the world. His pace and swing won him many admirers across the globe and his success rate even on flat Asian wickets made him one of the most feared quicks in the game. With more than 400 Test wickets to his name in 82 matches, Steyn can rightfully claim to be one of the finest bowlers of contemporary cricket.
However, a season of forced absence from the field due to serious fitness issues has taken the sheen off his bowling.
Things started to go downhill for Steyn last year. In Test matches in 2015, Steyn took just 17 wickets in five matches, with seven in one game against the West Indies.
Even more worryingly, he missed three out of the four matches of a disastrous Test tour of India due to a groin injury and then played only one out of four Tests against England at home due to a shoulder injury. Those successive injuries meant Steyn got sidelined just before the T20 season.
What has made things tough for Steyn is the emergence of two reliable South African bowlers. Kagiso Rabada has come up by leaps and bounds within a span of one year and the 20-year-old has quickly become the premier fast bowler in the country across formats, at par with Morne Morkel.
In terms of reliability in limited overs cricket, Kyle Abbott is seen as the go-to man for the Proteas. In 2015, he played 11 ODIs and gave away runs at a rate of just 5.29. Abbott played nine T20s in 2015 with an economy of 8.39. Steyn, in fact, didn’t play a single T20 last year.
All these developments have resulted in Steyn slowly getting pushed out of public consciousness. This year, after fighting hard to get fit, Steyn featured in two T20 matches against Australia before setting off for the World T20 in India.
But things went far from smoothly for the quick, who will turn 33 in June. He was thrashed for 35 runs from two overs as England successfully chased down 230. Steyn played only one more match in the tournament.
KG and myself chilling watching the cricket. Always learning! #MomentsThatCount @nissanza pic.twitter.com/fo2ioDm76d
— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) March 16, 2016
The most telling statement regarding Steyn at the World T20 came from Afghanistan wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Shehzad, who said he was disappointed not to face the pacer as “he is not dangerous” like Chris Morris. That was an audacious statement but when South African skipper Faf du Plessis didn’t completely dismiss Shehzad’s remarks, the aura around Steyn diminished greatly.
Despite recent developments, the right-arm quick insists he wants to play all three formats for South Africa and does not want to give up one to prolong his career in another. Steyn puts it down to the FOMO factor – fear of missing out. He wants to contribute in all games and also play a day-night Test for the Proteas, as and when it materialises.
But looking at the way his fortunes have plummeted, Steyn needs to be realistic about his future and accept that he is not an automatic selection anymore. His prolonged fitness battle and emergence of promising fast bowlers back home have made things difficult for him and for any genuine quick, age is also a major factor.
How long Steyn remains on the radar will depend on the performances of those ahead of him in the pecking order.
But on current evidence, Steyn is not being missed and that is a slippery slope from where very few come back.
