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The fire in Dale Steyn's belly has returned and it was on show on the first day of the first Test against Australia.

FORMER Phalaborwa resident Dale Steyn lives in Cape Town, plays for the Cape Cobras and can now comfortably call Newlands his home ground.

There is something magical about the picturesque venue that seems to draw the best from the world’s No 1 fast bowler. If it’s not the mountain or wind, it is surely the Newlands pitch, which was greased up just to Steyn’s liking with some early morning rain on Wednesday.

After bowling arguably two of his best spells in his two previous Tests here – against England in 2010 and India earlier this year – Steyn again delivered a masterclass in fast bowling on the first day of the series against Australia. There was swing and pace that only the visitors’ captain, Michael Clarke, could counter. The tourists were left reeling at 214/8 after 55 overs when play was called off because of bad light.

“It’s pretty cool bowling at Newlands. The conditions really suited us,” said Steyn.

“There was a bit in the pitch and we had to make use of it. We did let it go a little, but if you’d asked us at the beginning of the day, we would have taken eight wickets.”

Steyn was not at his best during the preceding one-day series, but he said on Wednesday that there was nothing like the intensity of Test cricket for him.

“Yes, the intensity was back,” he said. “I did not have the same intensity during the one-day series. It is not that I wasn’t looking for it, but you only get that by bowling in Test-match conditions. And I felt it again out there.”

The momentum was also in Steyn’s favour yesterday. Ricky Ponting may not be Australia’s captain any longer, but he will remain a prize wicket as long as he wears the Baggy Green cap. Ponting played across a swinging delivery from Steyn, and the ball crashed into his pads, only for Steyn to not even appeal.

Fortunately for South Africa, captain Graeme Smith and wicket-keeper Mark Boucher saw it differently and called for the television review when umpire Bill Doctrove turned them down. Ponting was then given out.

“Sometimes as a bowler you don’t see these things… Everything happens so quickly… Graeme and Mark called for the review. There wasn’t even a big celebration from me,” Steyn said.

But as good as Steyn was, so was Clarke. The conditions were all in favour of the bowlers, so batting required not just a watertight technique to survive but also courage and a little bit of luck. The right-handed Clarke stood firm, even when South Africa’s pace spearhead launched a verbal assault almost as fierce as the bouncers that were whistling past his head.

“As a batsman I’ve learnt that you rarely win in those situations, so I’ve learnt to keep my mouth shut and let my bat do the talking,” said Clarke, who remains unbeaten on 107. “I didn’t say anything. He is a quality bowler. He was getting the ball up at my head.”

Steyn said: “When you have the opposition two down, and they’ve been inserted, it’s natural to have a go at their captain. If you can cut the head off the leader, the body normally falls off. But he did bat well.”

Clarke had to negotiate not only Steyn but also Vernon Philander, who showed why he has been the most successful bowler in domestic cricket for the past two seasons. Philander seamed the new ball extravagantly from the Wynberg End to take his maiden Test wicket – Phil Hughes – before showing good stamina to pick up a further two scalps later in the day.

“Vernon is a very good bowler,” said Clarke. “He bowls a good length, and is pretty difficult to get away… I played and missed a few times. He bowls with a really nice seam.”