Steyn's not yet the finished article
Dale Steyn’s achievement when he was voted Test cricketer of the year was great news for the fast bowler and the South African team, writes Mark Smit in Business Day
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
Dale Steyn’s achievement when he was voted Test cricketer of the year was great news for the fast bowler and the South African team, writes Mark Smit in Business Day. But is Steyn the genuine article yet? Is he an Allan Donald, or a Glenn McGrath, or a Fanie de Villiers?
He has to learn how to keep batsmen constantly under pressure. He has to learn how to stop allowing his left shoulder fall away, which inevitably leads to a ball wide outside the off stump. He still has to learn how to think batsmen out and how to adapt his attack to the requirement of the conditions — be it on the subcontinent, in England or Australia. It has so often been shown that wickets in Test cricket come almost as much from pressure, as they do from outstanding deliveries and Steyn — and his new-ball partner Morne Morkel for that matter — needs to learn how to tighten the screws and keep them tightened.
George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo