Johannesburg - Dale Steyn hinted at better things to come with a controlled performance in the second T20 International against Australia – his first top-level match for more than two months.
The mystery shoulder problem which cut short his participation in the first Test against England last December, and then ended any chance he had of facing them for the rest of that series and the subsequent ODIs and T20s, seemed to be a thing of the past as he not only bowled accurately but also fielded athletically.
“I was really impressed with his control, his plans were good, it’s almost like he never left,” said South Africa’s T20 skipper Faf du Plessis. “In big pressure moments he’s still delivering, it was a really good day for Dale.”
Steyn picked up two wickets, though even he’d acknowledge the brilliance of the two catches which enabled him to add wickets 56 and 57 to his international T20 tally. First there was Kagiso Rabada’s almost absurd effort on the third-man boundary that ended Steve Smith’s innings and then Shane Watson was superbly caught by JP Duminy, running backwards from point.
They were just reward for Steyn, though, who built on the early pressure created by Rabada’s dismissal of Aaron Finch. He then returned in the latter stages to pull South Africa back into the contest as David Warner and Glenn Maxwell were dominating.
Unlike Rabada who regularly propelled the ball at speeds in excess of 145km/h – even breaching the 150km/h mark at times – Steyn was happy to operate in the mid- to high-130s, foregoing pace for greater control. “I wasn’t too worried about his pace, it’s his first game back you can’t expect a guy to bowl 150 km/h,” said Du Plessis.
Seeing Rabada and Steyn in tandem was certainly a sight to behold, and while Sunday was the merest taste of what’s to come there will be many counting the days to South Africa’s next Test match when a hopefully fully fit Steyn and Rabada can bowl more sustained spells.
Rabada certainly impressed the Australians, whose only previous look at him had been when he made his T20 debut Down Under in November 2014. “South Africa’s heading in the right direction with fast bowling talent,” Warner said about Rabada.
The 20-year-old picked up two wickets and landed his yorker with accuracy – for the most part. “As a captain I’ve got no issue trusting a 20-year-old to bowl the last over. That’s how far he’s come, I’m really excited by what he can do in the World Cup,” Du Plessis added. - Cape Times