Dale Steyn: The Phalaborwa Express still waiting at the station

23 April 2017 - 02:00 By KHANYISO TSHWAKU
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Proteas pace ace Dale Steyn.
Proteas pace ace Dale Steyn.
Image: Gallo Images

At 33, Dale Steyn is at a stage where his body is either ready to give up on him or has one last second wind to get past Shaun Pollock's record of 421 wickets in test matches

Dale Steyn reckons his 55-year-old father would give him a klap if he told him he was unfit. That's how seriously the Steyn family takes its physical regime.

Not all fast bowlers would take part in the Two Oceans marathon, but a decent 1:39 in the 21km run pointed to Steyn's engine still being in mint condition.

After all, the "Phalaborwa Express", who's four wickets shy of Shaun Pollock's SA test record, thinks he's the fittest in the Proteas setup and has a surprisingly positive outlook on injuries.

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"I consider injuries to be an ongoing issue or something you get all the time.

"When you break a bone or limb, that's trauma. I've always been fit despite injuries and I'm just trying to recover from trauma and that'll take some time because broken bones and tendons don't recover overnight," Steyn said.

"Recovering from a fracture isn't easy and if I was a normal human being who was going to work, I wasn't going to have a problem. With us fast bowlers it's an abnormal thing to ask the body to bowl at 150km/h. It's not something every person in the world can do. It's taken a little longer than I've hoped for but I'm not superman. Once my arm is right I'm ready to blast the doors off things."

Should Steyn find fitness and form during South Africa A's concurrent England tour, it could lead to a timely return ahead of the crucial test series.

It was against England in the 2015 Boxing Day test in Durban where his shoulder first gave in. Even though he shrugged that off, it reared its ugly head in Perth last year during South Africa's unexpectedly successful test conquest of Australia.

Excellent management by Cricket South Africa has seen Steyn appear in plenty of tests since his 2004 debut against England.

Missing 11 of the past 16 tests in two years hasn't sat well with Steyn but he acknowledged the value of having time away from the game.

"Funny that I've enjoyed some of the time off because I've spent time with my family, I've got to know them a bit better and learn more about who I am. However, old habits die hard, cricket is one of them and that's all I've done in the past 12 years.

block_quotes_start He needs to be 110 % sure he can bowl as fast as he did before the injuries but it's important he's not pushed too early block_quotes_end

"Anyone who wants to be playing in England needs to be in that team. Those who aren't in the Champions Trophy unit need to be playing cricket," Steyn said.

"By the time the first test comes (July 6), we need to show that we've played. It's what everybody needs and what I need. I need to prove that I can still play, that I'm fit enough and that I still have the drive to play for the Proteas.

"If I can tick all those boxes, then I'll hopefully get the nod."

Former Proteas bowling ace and bowling coach Allan Donald was worried by Steyn's shoulder injuries from a pace perspective.

"It all depends on how well his rehab has gone and the time he's given himself to recuperate. He needs to be 110 % sure he can bowl as fast as he did before the injuries but it's important he's not pushed too early," Donald said.

Steyn is aware of the impact of successive shoulder injuries but he has reached a stage where he knows how to pace himself.

"Every time Usain Bolt runs the 100m, he's expected to break the world record but that's not the case. Bolt may look at it from a case where he wants to run under 10 seconds. That's the similar outlook for me because I'm a fast bowler. I want to be 140km/h and above all the time. There are times in a test when you have to rely on skill and that comes with experience," Steyn said.

"In that Perth test, I needed some pace to break the door open and I bowled the fastest ball in that test.

"I can still bowl at that speed but also know when I need to use that pace and when to use the skill. Everyone will have their opinion but that's mine and I want to play for a long time."

 

sports@timesmedia.co.za

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