ICC World T20 - Sensational Steyn, the key for South Africa – (Part 1) - Opinion
There is little doubt over the fact that South Africa has the best bowling attack in the ICC World T20 of 2012. Their pace battery is loaded with fast bowlers who could deploy the ball at high speed and ruffle the batsmen to the very core. Their spin department
is reasonable, yet still lags behind the spin battery that a side like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 has for example.
In recent times, South Africa’s success in the shortest version of the game has heavily relied on its fast bowlers to have the ability to pepper the corridor of uncertainty with impunity, and ensure that they beat the bat of the opposition, on a regular
basis. The T20 format is a format which mandates experimentation and would provide little for those oppositions, which are horrendously, monotonous in their approach. For a team like South Africa, history has shown that the times when they have succumbed to
outlandish pressure has been when they adopted a monotonous approach in their bowling, while failing to add variety into their attack. This fact has given them little space for emerging as victors in crunch games, as the opposition has repeatedly targeted
them. One man however, could well and truly lead the South African charge in the bowling department, that could prove to be pivotal in helping the team progress and shed away with their ‘ Chokers’ tag.
That man is http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DW-Steyn-c1409. He is undisputedly, the best fast bowler in modern times, for South Africa. What a man like Steyn, has in his armory is unparalleled by many other bowlers who bowl quick. His ability to bowl with sheer pace and deadly accuracy has
ruffled some of the most astute batsmen in the history of T20 cricket. The format itself has suited Steyn well, as he seldom disappoints in any high profile encounter. His sheer resilience, aggression and tenacity is exactly what South Africa would want, if
they are to prove that they are worthy winners of this year’s ICC World T20 in Sri Lanka.
Steyn’s accuracy is well known, but the problem for the opposition batsmen is that he combines an immaculate line and length, with speeds in excess of 145 Km/ph, which has pushed players on the back foot and forced them to defend rather than attack. Batsmen,
who have a penchant for experimentation for example, have often been dislodged by Steyn as he manages to outfox them more often than not. Those who wallow about how http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 World T20, tend to sideline Steyn’s
ability to mix up deliveries, where the odd slower delivery is as dangerous as a Yorker that crashes into the base of the stumps. In fact, some of his match a winning spells in T20 cricket, have been a product of mixing up an array of deliveries, which has
yielded significant amount of dividends for many bowlers in the past.
The pitches in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 have also changed since the last time South Africa had played in the Island. The tracks in Hambantota, Colombo and Pallekele, would suit Steyn’s type of bowling. He is also amongst the rare bowlers from the Western Hemisphere, who
have an exceptional record in the subcontinent. Unlike http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013, Steyn is not a green deck bully, and has managed to take wickets on batting paradises. One of his memorable spells in ODI cricket came in a high pressure World Cup fixture at
Nagpur in 2011, where Steyn managed to derail India’s progression towards a huge total by snapping up five wickets for fifty runs, which kept the score below 300. At one stage http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 looked set towards posting a total in excess of 350, yet Steyn’s terrific
bowling in the death overs ensured that such possibilities were averted. Had it not been for his late in swinging Yorkers, South Africa would have lost that all important World Cup encounter, as the score would have proven to be beyond bounds for most of their
batsmen.
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