South Africa pace ace Dale Steyn is back. The 35-year-old fast bowler’s career seemed as good as over following yet another lengthy stint on the sidelines.
He injured his heel earlier in the year during the Newlands Test against India. This after making a comeback after more than a year away due to serious shoulder and hamstring injury.
It seemed Steyn’s body, which a few years back rarely broke down completely, was now refusing to budge. South Africa themselves have moved on from the Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel era. It’s now the time of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi. But Steyn’s not done yet.
In an interview to ESPNCricinfo, Steyn said he wants to play 100 Tests and take 500 wickets. He is on 419 wickets from 86 matches. He will get a chance to add to that tally during the two-Test series in Sri Lanka which begins on July 12.
Simply unplayable! Fast bowling at its absolute best from the great Dale Steyn, who turns 35 today pic.twitter.com/U1U2kcqbbI
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) June 27, 2018
Steyn should get to play the first Test as he has shown great durability over the last month. Playing for Hampshire in England, Steyn played two first-class matches and three List A games in June alone. That’s a lot of overs even if he is not bowling at 90mph.
He also dismissed India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara for a duck on successive occasions.
Overs in his legs and shoulders put Steyn in the ideal position to demand a place in the South African Test team. However, the management will be wary of expecting too much from him and that too in the heat of Sri Lanka as Steyn has broken down on more than occasion in the last two seasons.
It is up to Steyn to show the recovery work he has undertaken allows him undertake the rigours of Test cricket. Because if it doesn’t work out this time, there might not be another chance.
