Is this man the next Dale Steyn?

Cape Town Blitz fast bowler Anrich Nortje has already started picking up insights from his hero, Dale Steyn, even though Steyn joined the squad late from national duty.

Nortje shared the new ball with Steyn in the Blitz’ second Mzansi Super League (MSL) match in Durban against the Durban Heat and, frankly, outshone his illustrious partner.

The 25-year-old showed his mettle against the Durban Heat when, after conceding 16 runs from 8 balls, he ripped through the Heat’s top order with three wickets in four balls – clean bowling Morne van Wyk, Sarel Erwee and Temba Bavuma.

He followed that up with the wicket of Hashim Amla to end on figures of 4/32 from his four overs.

“It’s been unbelievable sharing a dressing room with Dale. He’s just as awesome off the field as he is on the field and it’s really been a highlight in my career to be playing with him,” he said.

“So far we’ve been focusing on game plans and plans to certain guys, which has helped me a lot. I think later in the tournament, I’ll try to do some skills with him and just try to improve one or two aspects of my game.”

The tall quick had already impressed with his pace in last Friday’s opening match and looks set for a breakthrough campaign already.

“I’m very happy with my contributions on the field thus far, it’s been a great start for us and I’m really looking forward to taking the momentum into the next couple of games,” he said.

“If given the new ball again with Dale, building a good partnership between us could be crucial going forward. Good starts from a bowling perspective could mean that we can put teams under pressure early in their innings and maybe try restrict them as much as possible,” he stated.

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