England vs South Africa - Dale Steyn key in a heated contest - Opinion
Few bowlers are ruthlessly consistent and even fewer are relentless in their approach. For Dale Steyn, a combination of pace with pinpoint accuracy has made him the best bowler in modern times. South Africa, with its bottomless quiver of fast bowlers, has
never been blessed with a front line seamer, who could destroy the opposition regardless of where they play.
For England, signs are definitely ominous, and with the encounter with South Africa unfolding on Thursday, the man to deal with will definitely be http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DW-Steyn-c1409. With a wickets tally of 272 at an average of 23.18, he has seldom had a bad patch and has been
consistently ranked amongst the best bowlers in contemporary Test cricket. At just 29 years of age, Steyn is similar to the now defunct http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Brett-Lee-c48419, where he continues to clock near the 150 mark as his age increases. This fact, along with five wicket hauls which
have littered his CV, has meant that he has barely faltered and is an automatic pick for the South African selectors.
The problem for England is that this mighty fine fast bowler is playing in conditions which not only aid seam movement but also provide ample amount of assistance for swing. The first Test at the Oval in overcast conditions is bound to create a few problems
for the English batsmen, who have been accustomed to peppering lesser formidable attacks. Steyn’s last tour to the UK was a memorable one where he played a crucial role in South Africa’s 2-1 routing of the Poms. There were times in that series especially during
the Final Test at the Oval, where the South African bowlers were put to the sword, but Steyn continued to stand out in terms of consistency. His highlight was the beauty that he bowled to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Michael-Paul-Vaughan-c76145 in the First Test of that series, which was literally
unplayable.
The pitch at the Oval is thus tailor made for Steyn’s type of bowling. His ability to extract bounce and surprise the batsman with his pace will be aided by the pitch. The good thing for Steyn and his side is that not much will change in light of the conditions
that they would be playing in, throughout the Test series. The Second Test for example, will be played at Headingly, the same venue where South Africa gained the impetus to eventually overhaul http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 and become victors of the Basil D' Oliveira Trophy. Headingley’s
pitch continues to be a seamers paradise despite the fact that a flat deck is bound to appear when the sun is out .Yet the same can also be said about the rest of the two venues in England where the final Test at Lord's is bound to assist quality stroke play
when the sun is out. In light of this, South Africa would be praying that the heavens stay dark for the most part of the series.
England’s batsman on the other hand are technically sound which provides Steyn a challenge as much as an opportunity. The likes of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AN-Cook-c1026 have demonstrated that invoking the coaching manual, would bring plenty of runs on English wickets.
Having a compact technique however, is just a minor hint at defiance. It is more to do with handling swing and seam which even modern technicians find hard to swallow. Steyn has both these attributes which he has mastered to perfection.
In an attack which boasts a fine package, Steyn will be the key for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/GP-Swann-c1501 music and flying stumps in the course of this series.
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