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I will bowl two lengths - short and full: Steyn

Dale Steyn has said that Shaun Pollock's inclusion will allow him to play the role of a `shock' bowler in the second Test against Sri Lanka beginning on Friday in Colombo

Cricinfo staff
03-Aug-2006


Steyn: 'If you get enough short balls in the right place then they'll make a mistake' © AFP
Dale Steyn has said that Shaun Pollock's inclusion will allow him to play the role of a `shock' bowler in the second Test against Sri Lanka beginning on Friday in Colombo. Pollock missed the first Test that South Africa lost by an inning and 153 runs because of the birth of his child.
"I bowled one decent bouncer in the first Test and, with Polly [Pollock] keeping one end tight, I will concentrate on bowling, basically, two lengths - short and full. With the new ball I'll bowl full and try to get it to swing, but I will also concentrate on bowling more short balls," Steyn told Supercricket.co.za. "If you get enough short balls in the right place then they'll make a mistake."
"Every time we bowled a short ball they would play an attacking shot so, while I would never say they were lucky, at some time those aggressive shots will go wrong and there will be a man there to take the catch. Hopefully!," he said.
Steyn took 3 for 129 in the first Test and had given South Africa a perfect start by reducing Sri Lanka to 14 for 2 before Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene put on 624 runs for the third wicket. Steyn had Sangakkara dropped by Jacques Rudolph when he was on seven and one run later bowled him with a no-ball.
"I wanted to break my head against a wall. It was always going to be harder from that end because you had jump up a slope as you got into your delivery stride and your front landed before it normally does. Vinnie Barnes warned me about it before the Test started so that made it even worse when it happened."