My love for cricket began on June 29, 2008, in the first Test Match between South Africa and England at Lord’s, when a raw talent in the form of Dale Steyn tore apart Micheal Vaughan’s off-stump.
Right then and there the cricket worm infected me and I have not been able to find a cure.
It was also the day that the 24-year-old South African became a household name. He always wore the protea on his badge with pride and blessed South African cricket with immense success up until his retirement in 2019.
But where will South African cricket fans find our next? Dale Steyn?
Regarded by many as the best modern fast bowler, Steyn was the complete package. Not only could he terrorise batting line-ups with his pace, he had the ability to swing the ball in both directions, and when the short hand started to point towards 4 on Test match days, batsmen shivered.
It was then that the finest shots in his arsenal were on display, as he would reverse-swing the red Kookaburra and clean up teams.
The real spectacle came when he picked up a wicket, which was quite often considering his strike rate of 43.9 – still to date the best in the world. His celebration was a show on its own and anybody would have paid good money to experience his screams of jubilation as well as his clenching fists punching the air in happiness after he dismissed a batsman.
It was a universal language that he spoke: loving what you do.
Dale Steyn (AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER JOE)
But at the centre of this destructive persona was a deep love for the game and that was what made him so successful. Come money and come fame, Dale’s only passion was and still is the game of cricket. The childlike joy that he got out of the game was his driving force and was the only profit that ever mattered to him.
It was also what motivated him to keep on playing after countless injuries and failed World Cup attempts. The accolades he received were a small portion of what made the sport so gratifying.
And that is the missing piece of the puzzle for the Proteas. To find joy playing the game and to not think that winning trophies would fill the void.
When you are able to find delight in just playing the game, the fortunes will follow.
Mark Boucher and his troops must go back to their roots and ask themselves: why did I become a cricket player and why do I want to represent my country?
If they can answer that question, the Rainbow Nation can step closer to global success.
So where will we find our next Steyn? Not in the local nets nor on the cricket grounds, but inside of the current squad.
There is a Dale Steyn passion in each and every one of the players, they just need to find it.
ididthisinlockdown
Roar Rookie
In that game he also bowled a ball to Micheal Vaughan that completely took his off-stump apart. Real special scenes that was !
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
I was at that match in Port Elizabeth when this young kid Steyn who I think had only played about 6 first class matches up until then made his debut .. The barmy army guys were asking me if I could tell them about him.. I truthfully said I had never heard of him.. :stoked:
peter ostle
Guest
The issue with South African cricket, and sports, is the role of the government and the politicisation of sports in South Africa. Added to this is the economy which even before present circumstances was not great - COVID-19 has not impacted in a major way in South Africa, although the reasons for this are still unclear. The situation in Britain may lead South Africans to move back to South Africa, but this may be more economic than immigration - the crisis of COVID-19 in Britain has led many to note how important immigration is to the functioning of Britain. A further issue is that of quotas, where players feel they are denied a place in a team - from the state franchises to the national team - not on ability but colour.
Samuel Laffy
Roar Guru
For a variety of extremely complicated reasons, I reckon South Africa have - sadly - already found and lost their potential next Steyn at least twice in recent years. Duanne Olivier and Kyle Abbott are the obvious ones to look to who left South Africa to take on Kolpak deals. It's seemingly more complicated than simply 'wanting to play badly for your country'.
ididthisinlockdown
Roar Rookie
I understand your point when you say that we won’t be able to find the next Dale Steyn anytime soon , just like the next Shane Warne won’t be coming out tomorrow. But I think the point is for South-African cricket is that Dale showed us what it meant to him when he played for his country - as did Warney - And I do hope that when aspiring cricketers saw them on the teli their minds did not race towards stardom or fame but rather the passion with which they both played the game . Thank you for reading my article !
Tigerbill44
Roar Guru
Match wining bowlers in test matches are a rarity. Always difficult to replace them.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
That strike rate of Steyn's is absolutely phenomenal. To, on average, take a wicket every 7 overs right throughout a long career is top of the line stuff. I get what you're saying about passion, love of the game and pride in your country but I'm not sure it's a viable substitute for pure class. I'm not convinced there is any substitute tbh. An Aussie counterpart to Steyn could be Shane Warne. He had similar passion and outright skill but I don't expect us to find 'the next Shane Warne' anytime soon. It could be a hundred years before we see the likes of him again and it wouldn't surprise me at all if you find a similar thing with the great Dale Steyn.
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Good question, Lockie. Steyn's a rare generational player. He has elite skills and his strikerate proves it, his boots won't easily be filled. The passion and competitive drive he had though should be one of the top three prerequisites looked for by any selector. Australia were good at targeting that mentality in the 80's with Steve Waugh, Ian Healy and later in the 90's Warne and Glenn McGrath. Their talents at the time of selection showed promise but their mental approach was the key to selection.
Paul
Roar Guru
You've raised an interesting dilemma for South African cricketers that is probably foreign to us in Australia - the lure of the dollar versus the love of the game. There's more money in the game in this country so more players can make a decent living from the game and the top guys can make some serious money. The contracts for South African players appear to be a fair bit less, once you get away from the top echelon and I assume many think they can do better elsewhere, hence the exit for a number of talented cricketers to English County cricket. There's no doubt Steyn was one of the most talented and passionate cricketers South Africa has ever produced. Yes, he played the game because he loved it, but in fairness he was recompensed pretty well for his efforts. The country is going through a trough at present, which hasn't been helped by guys going to England to play. Now that Brexit has happened and England has changed the rules about Kolpak players, maybe more might stay at home and bolster the national teams. It'd be nice if the cricket authority could find more money to entice them.