Why Dale Steyn will continue taking wickets in the subcontinent
South Africa are visiting India very shortly for a long tour, which includes a four-match Test series. South Africa have been a top Test side for very long time and haven’t lost a Test series overseas for almost a decade now.
Dale Steyn has played a key role in this domination, taking wickets at a phenomenal rate in the sub-continent. Some have even commented that Steyn may possibly be the greatest fast bowler ever in Test history.
Steyn’s heroics on South Africa’s tour to Sri Lanka in 2014
When South Africa last toured Sri Lanka in 2014, Steyn’s 9-wicket haul on a flat Galle wicket helped South Africa beat Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, for the first time in a Test series.
It also helped South Africa regain the Test no.1 ranking, which they had lost to Australia few months back.
South Africa scored 455 batting first, and Steyn’s 5-wicket haul ensured Sri Lanka were bundled out for a first-innings score of 292. South Africa then declared at 206/6 in their second innings, setting Sri Lanka a target of 370 in the final innings. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 216 in their second innings.
Dale Steyn took 5/54 in the first innings, followed by 4/45 in the second, and broke the back of Sri Lanka’s top order in both essays. It was a testament to his amazing ability to adapt to all kinds of surfaces and produce the goods.
With his second wicket in the final innings, he became the most successful overseas fast bowler in Asian conditions.
Steyn vis-a-vis other successful overseas bowlers in Asian conditions
| Wickets | Bowlers | Matches | Average | Strike rate | 5 Wicket innings | 10 wicket matches |
| 80 | Dale Steyn | 16 | 22.17 | 39.1 | 5 | 1 |
| 77 | Courtney Walsh | 17 | 20.53 | 45.2 | 5 | 0 |
| 72 | Glenn McGrath | 19 | 23.02 | 54.8 | 1 | 0 |
| 71 | Malcolm Marshall | 19 | 23.05 | 48.7 | 3 | 0 |
| 68 | Richard Hadlee | 13 | 21.58 | 42.7 | 5 | 2 |
If we look at the stats, Steyn had taken 80 wickets in 16 Test matches in Asia, at a miserly average of 22.17 and a phenomenal strike rate of 39.1. This included five 5-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket match haul, with his strike rate in particular standing out.
Steyn also averages 5 wickets for every Test match he has played in Asia, a feat that has been matched by only one other bowler in this list - Richard Hadlee.
This shows how big a factor Steyn has been in South Africa’s unblemished record overseas in the last many years.
Looking ahead to South Africa’s tour of India in 2015
Looking ahead to the upcoming India South Africa tour, Steyn will once again be the biggest threat. If he can keep up his efforts and bowl at his best, then we will see a great series. He will have to counter father-time though, which spares no cricketer.
Steyn is 32 now and seems to have lost a yard of pace in the last year or so. He wasn’t able to force to issue against a spirited Bangladesh this year when the two-Test series ended in a draw.
South Africa would be hoping that Steyn can rediscover his best on this tour. They need Steyn to fire for them, as their spin stocks are thin.
Imran Tahir hasn’t been a great success so far at theTest level, and their other fast bowlers may not be that effective on benign, spin-friendly Indian tracks. Steyn’s performance will be the key in deciding the outcome of the coming Test series.
If India can neutralise the Steyn factor, then it will very big for their chances to beat the no.1 Test side right now, and in the process spoil their opponent’s unblemished overseas record.