Dale Steyn
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Dale Steyn: Back with a bang as Australia falter

Mustafa Ismail·
One Day International (ODI)
·2 Comments·

Dale Steyn is back in South Africa’s ODI set-up and the impact was immediate as they beat Australia 2-1 in the recently-concluded series…

With the 2019 World Cup in sight, South Africa have been boosted by the return of Dale Steyn – who’s bowling with the same fire and intensity that he had at his peak. At first, the inclusion of Steyn in the ODI squad looked like a desperate move by South Africa to get some experience back into the side. However, with his recent performances, he could end up being a key part of their World Cup campaign. The seamer was bowling at a good pace and got the ball moving like the Steyn of old, which is a great sign for South African cricket.

Dale Steyn has aged and suffered a lot through injuries, but is now fit and bowling to the best of his capability. It’s an astonishing feat and is testament to the man’s willpower and dedication to the game. Credit should also be given to the captain, Faf du Plessis, who has shown faith in the speedster. For a fast bowler, coming back from an injury is an uphill battle – but now that Steyn has done it, fans will be hoping to see him bowl to his potential all the way through the World Cup.

Quickies have been criticized in recent years for not being as speedy and dangerous as bowlers of the past. In doing so, people often forget that these players need to rest – but with the modern-day cricket, scheduling ample recovery time has become impossible. To generate enough pace, your body needs to be fresh and bowlers these days barely get a breather. That’s a major part of why present-day fast bowlers are failing to run the show in international cricket. Eventually, these bowlers will burn out. This makes it imperative for cricket boards around the globe to ensure that players are taken care of, even it means missing a few games.

Hopefully, Cricket South Africa handle Dale Steyn cautiously so he can fire at his best during the World Cup. Steyn’s experience and sheer presence will be huge for Kagiso Rabada, who’ll be able to share the responsibility instead of shouldering the vast majority of the burden. It would’ve been great if AB de Villiers could also play the World Cup – but South Africa have a decent side without him and can pose a tough challenge to other teams with Faf as their captain.

The English conditions will be conducive to fast bowling, especially early on in the tournament. This makes South Africa’s bowling line-up even more daunting for batsmen. In the spin department, they have Imran Tahir, who has all the experience and can chip in with wickets in the middle-order. There are also plenty of quality batting options in David Miller, Du Plessis, Hashim Amla, and Quinton de Kock – which means the team possess all the tools necessary to down any side in the world.

The ‘chokers’ tag will be a massive obstacle after years of failure, which means it’s equally important for the players to be as mentally fit as they are physically. For now, things look hopeful for South Africa – but they’ll have to work very hard leading up to the World Cup and plan well if they want to lift the highly coveted trophy.