Dale Steyn is very happy to take 400 test wickets.
He is the quickest in terms of strike rate to reach this feat. He is also the
only South African bowler after Shaun Pollock to reach this landmark. Pollock
had taken 421 wickets in his Test career. Steyn spoke about his
accomplishments, swing bowling and Sachin Tendulkar. He was not eyeing to take
400 wickets in Test cricket and concentrated on one game at a time. He further
added that he feels great to get his 400th scalp in the longer version of the
game. He said that there is enormous pressure in Test cricket, whether you take
one wicket or 400.
In an interview with Times of India he said that
Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket was always a prised wicket. He said “It has to be the
big name players, match winners and captains of course. In India, Sachin’s
wicket was really precious.” He said that he loves the game and is happy to
play and give his best every time he steps on the cricket field. On being asked
whether it was difficult to bowl to Tendulkar, he said, “Yes, he was tough to
get out. He didn’t destroy you the way Chris Gayle or Ab de Villiers can.
Speaking about Test cricket obviously, he was a great player.”
On his views on the decline of swing bowling, he
said that he hopes that swing bowling never dies in the game. It is one of the
reasons Steyn has got so many wickets. On his views on having a good stamina
and are fast bowlers protected or not, he responded “You are either born a fast
bowler or not. Stamina keeps you going all day, but it isn’t the answer to
bowling fast. ? I think protected is the wrong word. Managed is better. Fast
bowlers are key to winning Test matches. The wickets we play on are generally
flat and you do need pace to get you 20 wickets. Managing fast bowlers’
workload is the key for teams.”
Steyn was not sure as to why India has not produced
a genuine pace bowler. He said that he isn’t sure about the reason(s); however
there are good fast bowlers around. “Fast bowling is hard work and all of us
have niggles and issues. Don’t know why some get more injured than others. I’ve
been managed well over the years, I’m also lucky with my action that it doesn’t
stress my body too much. I’m pretty fortunate.” Steyn said that he doesn’t
thinks that the new rules to ODI cricket will balance the contest between the
batsmen and bowlers. He said that it’s a batsman’s game after all. He however
wishes to see how it pans out.
On T20 cricket he said, “You need skill to play T20.
It is a huge learning curve for young fast bowlers. The earlier the better,
just hope the art and love/drive for Test cricket doesn’t decline. Steyn also
said that if he is given the opportunity to coach the Indian team he will
surely do it. “I need to first find out if coaching would be something that I
enjoy, but I’m always up for a challenge.”
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