Why the upcoming month is very important for Dale Steyn's limited overs career

Can Steyn repay his captain’s faith?

Dale Steyn’s status as arguably the greatest bowler of his generation and perhaps one of the best of all-time isn’t in question. But after a year that saw him miss plenty of cricket through injury, his effectiveness, especially in the shortest format of the game is something that isn’t certain.

Yet, what makes that question interesting is not that that he doesn't have the necessary ingredients to continue to be successful but whether he will be able to in an era where increasingly bowlers are becoming nothing more than cannon fodder.

While the Asia Cup so far has been different in the amount of assistance it has provided to the bowlers, the tournament has largely been an exception rather than the norm. Bowlers have had to toil hard to get even just a little reward and that takes its toll on the best of them.

Yet, with Steyn, that isn’t something that one needs to worry about.

Steyn might be 32 but he is still arguably fitter most of his counterparts in the Proteas dressing room. Apart from perhaps Kagiso Rabada, he is faster than all of them as well. The only question with Steyn is whether he can continue to deliver as he has done throughout his career.

Impressive T20 career

The 32-year-old’s Test record of 406 wickets might make headlines more often than not. But few realise that his records in the shorter formats of the game aren’t too shabby either.

In fact, his T20I record is especially impressive, for someone who bowls predominantly in the powerplay and at the death overs.

In 38 matches, he has picked up 55 wickets. Arguably, what is more impressive, is that his economy rate is just 6.45. His overall T20 economy rate of 6.62 from over 150 matches shows that his numbers in T20Is is not just because he has played fewer matches.

While he didn't have the greatest time in the 2015 IPL, as he admitted in an interview with The Cricket Monthly, the loss in the 2015 World Cup semi-final might have had something to do with why he wasn’t as lethal as he usually is.

Despite not playing a T20I since the 2014 World T20 semi-final against India, the fact that he was chosen ahead of Morne Morkel is somewhat surprising, especially given the latter’s impressive recent record in the IPL but it isn’t as though the selection was blindly on no basis.

	Matches	Wickets	Economy Rate	Strike Rate
Dale Steyn	38	55	6.45	14.8
Morne Morkel	39	45	7.37	18.4

When you look at the respective T20I records of both bowlers, you will notice that Steyn actually has a better record in the format than Morkel. While it is true that the Proteas might have been better having both Steyn and Morkel, one look at the stats will tell you that based purely on numbers, Steyn is the better choice.

Yet the fact that he hasn't played too many matches in the shortest format is smoething that is against him. For T20Is is one place where ring-rustiness costs an awful lot, especially if you are someone who bowls at the start and end of each innings.

While his 5/13 in a club match on his return to fitness implies that he has still got what it takes. Doing it in a club match against a team that is considered one of the favourites for the World T20 is quite another.

Then there is the small matter of the World T20, where he will be the leader of the pace attack, despite playing no part in the bowling line-up that beat England in both the ODIs and T20Is recently.

Steyn's record certainly gives him automatic respect, he will still have to prove that his T20I numbers, which are incredible so far, can be maintained. And he will need to deliver when it matters most because his selectors and captain trust him to do so.

Future depends on March

Such is his prowess in the longest format of the game that the Proteas might be tempted to wrap him up in cotton wool and play him only when it is absolutely necessary, in the shorter formats and keep him fresh for the Tests.

Steyn has time and again reiterated that he considers Tests as the pinnacle and he wants to quash the myth that fast bowlers have to retire at 33 or 34 and play until he is 38. If he really wants to do that, playing all three formats might prove counter-intuitive.

Being the competitor that he is, the right arm fast bowler is unlikely to go quietly into the sun from any format of the game. But he might have to do so or at least. be forced into doing it, if he wants to keep playing until he is 38.

And that is precisely why March will be such a crucial month for Dale Steyn and his limited-overs career. For the T20I series against Australia and the World T20 that follows it will give a better indication of just how effective he is and whether he deserves his place in the side.

If his performances live up to his career numbers, the Proteas might be persuaded to playing him  at least until next year's Champions Trophy in the UK, where conditions might be to his liking.

If not, they might have to keep him going in Tests and help him become only the third fast bowler to break the 500-wicket barrier. Given his competitive streak, that might not be something Steyn is entirely opposed to.