Dale Steyn is ready for that elusive wicket… and many more

Dale Steyn can’t wait to take the wicket that will make him South Africa’s leading Test wicket-taker because then people will stop asking him about it, and the 35-year-old said on Monday that he has the power to go on and take many more wickets for the Proteas.

Steyn will line up on Wednesday in the first Test against Pakistan starting at Centurion, his home ground, with 421 Test wickets, level with Shaun Pollock, but he was stuck on 417 wickets between November 4, 2016 and January 5, 2018 after breaking his shoulder in Perth.

“I’ve answered questions about that one wicket for about two years now, but there are a lot more wickets in me than just one. I have a big plan and in a way it was wonderful to have that break because I now feel like I’m 23 again. Of course getting the record would be a beautiful thing to happen, it’s taken a long time and records are great to achieve and I will be highly honoured.

“But then I’ll just go back to my mark and try and get the next one. It’s just going to be nice to have the red ball in my hand again after bowling in Sri Lanka was pretty tough on some of the flattest pitches in the world. I’m looking forward to getting out there and playing some cricket, and I look forward to playing at SuperSport Park because I’ve done well here in the past,” Steyn said in Centurion, where he has taken 56 wickets in just nine Tests at the phenomenal average of 17.12, on Monday.

And, judging by his performance in the recent Mzansi Super League, Steyn is clearly in good form and he had a little warning for the Pakistan batsmen on Monday.

“Ja, the ball is coming out okay,” Steyn said with a smile and considerable understatement. “And South African conditions are probably the hardest to bat in anywhere in the world, especially for opening batsmen – it’s the hardest job in the world of cricket. And I must say, judging by the nets and middle strip we’ve used, there’s some spice in the pitch.

“For any sub-continent team coming to South Africa, they’re not familiar with the conditions, they look down at the pitch and they see grass, and it feels like they’re two down already, the advantage is really with the fast bowler. It’s about the heat in the kitchen, whoever can last the longest. Can I land the ball in the right place ball-after-ball?” Steyn said.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.