CAPE TOWN – For a decade Dale Steyn was the most respected fast bowler in the world. He was the undisputed No 1 in his weight division.
The last couple of years though the lights have started to fade due to a few long term injuries, particularly that troublesome right shoulder.
It resulted in Steyn returning early from the World Cup this year without even playing a game before calling time on his illustrious Test career.
But instead of being fearful that Steyn was a spent force, the Cape Town Blitz retained the veteran for this year's MSL 2.0.
And how they have been repaid. The 36-year-old has turned back the clock during this tournament and was at his very best at a sun-lit Newlands on Sunday.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlitzBrigade?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlitzBrigade #MSLT20 #CTBlitz⚡️ pic.twitter.com/OAM3XMmNyU
— Cape Town Blitz (@CT_Blitz)
Steyn ripped the Tshwane Spartans top-order to shreds, finishing with the excellent figures of 3/10 to reignite the Blitz' MSL 2.0 campaign.
The biggest crowd of the tournament thus far though were not only treated to a Steyn masterclass, but also a gladiatorial battle with his good friend AB de Villiers.
The Spartans required their own talisman to take them home, but it was Steyn that won the duel on the day when he rushed De Villiers with a bouncer.
De Villiers managed only to top edge the delivery back to Steyn, who gleefully took the return catch.
The Spartans chase was kept alive through Pite van Biljon and some sloppy fielding and ill-discipline by the Blitz, but ultimately Wahab Riaz and Sisanda Magala kept their nerve to send Newlands into a delirium
Earlier, the Blitz middle-order batsmen had faltered after a good platform laid by David Bedingham (53) and Janneman Malan (36) and would have thought they were at least 20 runs short at the halfway stage.
But with Steyn in such a rampant mood, it was more than sufficient and the Blitz will hope that the veteran maintain this form as the playoffs fast approaches.