There was a time when Dale Steyn was ever present in cricket Test matches for the Proteas. That was before injuries began to take their toll on the fast bowler.They rely too heavily on their batsmenHaving missed six out of a possible eight Tests in the 2015-2016 season, it feels like an eternity since he was last in whites.His last Test was the disastrous Boxing Day match against England at Kingsmead. He broke a shoulder as the Proteas slid to a 214-run defeat . The memories of him breaking down in the England second innings are still fresh, but they give him motivation to excel against a quietly over-achieving New Zealand side."I haven't played for the country in quite some time," he said."I went to the T20 World Cup and I didn't play as many games as I would have liked. I think I was still recovering from the shoulder injury and at the time it was a good idea not to break up that winning team. I'm just looking forward to being back on the park."It was unfortunate that I had two injuries in pretty much the same time. I had the groin injury in India then I broke my shoulder. They just tended to happen very close to each other, but I've never been someone who struggles with injuries."I've managed my body well in the past, but it was just unfortunate that when I recovered from the one injury, I was afflicted by the next one."The patchwork New Zealand Test side that Steyn faced in the summer of 2012-2013 is far removed from the confident unit led by coach Mike Hesson and skipper Kane Williamson.They play an aggressive and intelligent brand of cricket. Unlike the motley crew that was soundly beaten by an innings in both Tests of 2012-2013, the current lot have an air of serenity and confidence. Their previous tour was dominated by disharmony over Ross Taylor's axing as captain and by general discontent.To say they have moved on is an understatement.Steyn knows their growth and ability to play as a unit cannot be discounted, especially with the cricket mileage in their legs."Being captained by Brendon McCullum, they moulded themselves into a force that was to be reckoned with. They are growing under Kane Williamson and they're moving in the right direction, but they rely too heavily on their batsmen. In these conditions, the ball does a lot of talking and if the top order is gone, things happen quickly," Steyn said...