Dale Steyn not ready to give up his limited-overs career
Progressing towards the final phase of his astounding career, Dale Steyn is still hungry for a World Cup medal. Speaking to cricket.com.au, the South Africa pace legend has opened up about a reluctance to give up white-ball cricket to prolong his Test future.
Dispelling all theories on how he would approach the last lap, Steyn remained confident of his choices. He said, “When you start to come to the back end (of your career), people start to say 'maybe you should give up one (format) or give up the other’. I'm looking at it differently; I want to play everything.”
Recently, veteran Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath decided to retire from limited-overs cricket in a bid to concentrate on Tests. As age starts taking its toll on the body, balancing all formats could lead to a hectic schedule. Looking at the case of stalwarts such as Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting, retiring from the shorter formats is a standard norm for an ageing cricketer to extend his Test career.
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However, Steyn expressed his eagerness to play ODIs and T20Is as well. The 32-year old fast bowler enthused, “I really enjoy Twenty20s, I really enjoy ODIs, it’s just great. I like the entertainment side of it, it's fun.”
Admitting that playing all formats would be extremely difficult, Steyn noted, “To give that up and play Test matches would probably be the wise thing. But, I just want to play everything.”
However, the South African revealed that missing out on an international match was tough to handle. The seasoned campaigner claimed, “I get 'FOMO' – the fear of missing out – so I want to play. I want to go on tours, I love being around the boys, and I love playing cricket.”
In an era where batsmen have it all in their favour, the lethal pacer has recorded impressive numbers and etched his name among the greatest cricketers of all-time. In 82 Tests, Steyn has picked up 406 wickets at a remarkable average of 22.53 and his strike-rate of 41.7 is the highest for any bowler with over 200 wickets.
With the landmark of 100 Test matches not too far away, Steyn sounded pragmatic. He affirmed, “I'd love to get to 100 Test matches. That would be amazing. I'm not going to be too upset if I end up on 95 or if I even end up on 85.”
Reflecting on a career which has spawned almost a decade, the seamer asserted, “I feel like I've made a great contribution to South African cricket. I've really loved it, I've enjoyed every moment of it.”