Published: Jul 04, 2018, 04:49 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 04, 2018, 04:49 PM (IST)
Dale Steyn has been in and out of the team in the past few years due to a string of injuries. However, he has been selected in the South Africa squad for the Test series in Sri Lanka. Steyn played his last Test against India this January, where he could bowl only 17.3 overs before getting ruled out of the series for the same with an injured heel. Before the series he had spent 13 months away from the national team recovering a shoulder injury during the WACA Test against Australiain December 2016.
Ahead of the 2-Test series, Steyn expressed his wish to reach new landmarks in the Test series. “A hundred Test matches would be amazing and 500 wickets would be incredible,” Steyn was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Steyn has recently played 5 games for Hampshire and has found good rhythm. However, he failed to create an impact in his first match against Somerset, conceding 80 off 10 overs. He did well in the limited-overs match against Yorkshire, picking 1 for 34 in 7 overs, and registered a five-wicket haul in a Championship match, also against Yorkshire. One of his wickets included Cheteshwar Pujara.
In his international career Steyn has picked 419 wickets from 86 Tests. He needs only 3 wickets to surpass Shaun Pollock as the leading Test wicket-taker for South Africa. The first test between South Africa and Sri Lanka is scheduled to be start on July 12 at Galle International Stadium.
