@sunrisers__2022

Happy birthday @dalesteyn predator’s eyes, an intimidating sprint to the crease, and a blur of a cherry, barely perceptible to the eye, getting past the bat before the mental faculties can process it, and the sight of mangled and cartwheeling stumps in the aftermath of the batsman’s demise encapsulate the phenomenon of Dale Steyn. One of the more enthralling sights of Test cricket in the 21st century has been Steyn running in full-throttle and clocking 150+, shaping the signature outswinger away from a leg-stump line at will and opening up the batsman’s stance to hit the top of off-stump. A classical front-on action with a release hell-bent upon landing it on a length, furious pace to match it, and a clever mind to complement the brawn, Dale Steyn has been one of the most complete fast bowlers of his generation. Steyn made his Test debut in 2004, along with a fellow rookie by the name of AB de Villiers, after he impressed Ray Jennings with his raw pace and stamina, in the home series against England after a combined experience of just 7 first-class games. A humbling loss on debut set him back as he picked up just 3 wickets in the game, although it included a ripper of an outswinger to knock over Michael Vaughan in the second innings. After a tally of just 8 wickets in the 3-Test series, Steyn failed to make a significant impact and was dropped from the side. After a slew of impressive first-class performances, Steyn continued to be in the radar and made a comeback in 2006 for the home series against New Zealand. Wary of not getting another chance, Steyn made his mark immediately with a five-for in his first Test, and bowled with more accuracy and vigour than the rookie 2 years earlier. He picked up 16 wickets in 3 Test matches and tormented the Kiwis with his wrecker-in-chief, Makhaya Ntini. Steyn continued to wreck oppositions and was named one of South Africa’s five cricketers of the year. Despite the honor of this accolade, due to the competition for fast bowlers in the side, Steyn found himself out of the reckoning at the beginning of 2007, citing the reason that he did not possess the intensity required off a fast bowler.