Published: Sep 08, 2016, 12:19 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 08, 2016, 01:52 PM (IST)
There were speculations if South Africa pace spearhead Dale Steyn was a spent force. The 33-year-old did not get to play enough Tests due injuries but he proved the speculations myth when he came back strong against New Zealand last month. Steyn’s 10 wickets at 10.20 dismantled the New Zealand batting, helping the struggling South African Test side clinch the series 1-0. Now all geared up for the upcoming Australian tour, the paceman has served a warning.
Steyn believes that his side’s bowlers will be like a pack of “wild dogs” who will be ready to “wear down” Australia when they travel Down Under for a three-Test series in November. Steyn, who grabbed 8 wickets to down New Zealand in the decisive second Test at Centurion last week, also observed that South African bowling attack are more skilled than the hosts.
“You have to build pressure for long periods of time; wait for their mistake, because they do attack you,” Steyn was quoted as saying by Sport24. “I feel our bowling line-up will perhaps be a bit more patient and skilled than theirs. Besides Josh Hazlewood, their attack is very conscious of attacking, wicket-taking. If you can bat well you can kind of get through it.
“Our attack … we are more like wild dogs: we wear you down, wear you down. But we are also very capable of breaking your back, and taking you down quickly. We’ve got the guys to do the job … we just need the right number to do it,” the paceman added.
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South Africa will play the opening Test match against Australia in Perth from November 3 before heading to Hobart and Adelaide for the second and third match respectively. Before the Test series, the two nations will first clash later this month in a five-match one-day series in South Africa.
The two giants from southern hemisphere share a great rivalry and have last clashed in Australia in 2012-13. The tour is widely remembered for Faf du Plessis’ debut and Ricky Ponting’s last Test. The sides then contested in three intense Tests where fortunes flung a roller-coaster way before South Africa winning the final Test at Perth, in turn spoiling Ponting’s farewell and bagging the series 1-0. Steyn had picked 12 wickets at 30.83.
Australia then got their revenge in early 2014 where they won in South Africa 2-1. Again another series full of intense moments. Mitchell Johnson with 22 wickets at 17.36 overshadowed Steyn’s 12 at 26.41. This time around, another left-armer, Australia’s Mitchell Starc will look forward to replicate the same.
Steyn is class apart and we will have to wait and watch how effective he will be Down Under. It is bound to be a good battle between two very strong sides who have dominated Test cricket for a big part of this century.
(With inputs from ANI)
