Dale Steyn had a spring in his step yesterday, as he made a return to action for the Proteas.
It was only a practice, but the Phalaborwa Express was clearly thrilled to be back doing what he knows best, and just in time for the visit of England.
In his spell of bowling in the nets, one particular delivery stood out. He unleashed a bouncer at opener Dean Elgar, who got his head out of the way, and then offered the speedster a wry smile.
“It’s been a while since I bowled one of those,” Steyn smirked.
“How did it feel?” Elgar enquired.
“Good. It felt really good,” Steyn beamed, before resuming the hostility.
In no uncertain terms, the leader of the pack looks to be back, and he looks very eager to prove a big point. Missing out in India hurt him, deeply, and the only way he may be able to ease that suffering is to get stuck into the next opponents.
“Dale has been the best bowler in the world over the past five to six years,” coach Russell Domingo remarked.
“The rankings say that, and his performances say that. Not having him in India was a big blow, because he is not just a great bowler, but also a leader. He is a massive player, and it is great to have him back.”
In Steyn’s absence, others stepped into the breach, with Morne Morkel thriving in a leading role, and Kyle Abbott and Kagiso Rabada also putting their hands up.
Abbott’s spell in the final Test in Delhi was terrific and, regardless of the quality that England’s own attack brings, the hosts will also fancy their chances.
Conditions in Durban are expected to be overcast, with occasional showers on Saturday, and curator Wilson Ngobese expects the pitch to have good pace. It is a world away from the dust-bowls that the Proteas endured in India.
Of course, Kingsmead has also developed a tendency to dry out, and encourage reverse swing later in the match, as it did the last time England were here, in 2010. On that occasion, Stuart Broad thrived, ripping through the middle-order, to seal a memorable victory for the tourists.
Indeed, while both sides possess some of the best batsmen of the modern era, such as captains Cook and Amla, both greedy collectors of runs and records when set, and the classy Joe Root and AB de Villiers, capable of demoralising attacks with their flair, it may well come done to which lower-order digs in deeper.
With that in mind, South Africa have brought in Dolphins coach Lance Klusener as a lower-order batting consultant, as they look to move away from the collapses that defined their tour of India.
“We see our lower-order as an area we need to work on, because we are not blessed with the all-rounders of the past, like Klusener at 8, Shaun Pollock at 9 and Nicky Boje at 10,” Domingo admitted.
“Our tail is a bit exposed, so we have asked Lance to join us to work with the lower-order. He has batted a lot in those positions, and we hope he will give the lower-order a sense of purpose and direction. Their contribution in this series with the bat will be very important,” Domingo warned.
A glance at the head-to-heads suggests that it may very well go down to the wire, as it so memorably did when England were last on these shores.
On that occasion, Graham Onions didn’t sweat in the late-innings pressure-cooker, on two occasions, to somehow burgle England out of a series loss.
In every way, it is a conflict that has one salivating, and Boxing Day cannot come soon enough. For both sides, there is a lot on the line. Pride, possession, and even a few careers could be affected by the outcome. - Cape Times