PRETORIA – Firebrand fast bowler Dale Steyn will seek to become SouthAfrica’s greatest wicket-taker in tests when they take on Pakistan in thefirst match of a three-game series at Centurion Park in Pretoria onWednesday.
Steyn is level with former all-rounder Shaun Pollock on 421 test wicketsand, having played only six tests in the last three years due to injury,has been left tantalisingly close to capturing the outright top spot on thelist for some time.
With injuries to seamers Vernon Philander and Lungi Ngidi, Steyn is likelyto be given the new ball against Pakistan along with Kagiso Rabada on whatis expected to be a lively wicket in Pretoria. He will test the visitingbatsman having returned to his express pace of old in recent limited-overscontests, where he impressed against Australia last month.
Captain Faf du Plessis told reporters this week that Steyn was thecountry’s greatest fast bowler and suggested that while the 2019 CricketWorld Cup might be his limited-overs swansong, he still had a good fewyears of test cricket in him. “Test matches are what really drive me toperform,” Steyn recently told South African online publication Sport24. “IfI can carry on playing test cricket for as long as possible that will begreat.
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“There is a plenty of T20 cricket going on at the moment because that iswhere the money is at but I think that people will always know that testcricket is the real deal. I love the red-ball game.” The loss of Philanderin particular will add extra workload for Steyn, who is by far the mostexperienced seamer in the team, though the world’s leading test bowler,Rabada, could be the main threat.
