Dale Steyn showers praises on current South African bowling attack

South African fast bowling spearhead Dale Steyn was all praises for his side’s bowling attack and believes the current crop of bowlers are amongst the best in the world. The Proteas were clinical on Sunday as they humiliated hosts Australia in the first of 3 ODIs Down Under.

This was the first time the two teams were taking each other on since the Newlands ball-tampering scandal which rocked the cricketing world earlier this year. The Australians were sans Steve Smith and David Warner, and it seems their absence is costing them dearly as they have failed to win their last 6 six international fixtures.

The South Africans were without two of their premier batsmen Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers, the latter having announced his retirement from international cricket only a few weeks ago. But nevertheless, they went in with a beefed up bowling line-up which tore through the Aussies on Sunday at the newly built Perth Stadium.

Skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss and asked the hosts to bat first, and then unleashed a rejuvenated Dale Steyn. The fearsome paceman was back at his firing best, and immediately set the tone for a crushing victory. He removed Travis Head and D’Arcy Short within a span of 3 deliveries to leave Australia reeling at 4-2. What followed was yet another remarkable Australian collapse, which for some reason has become a common trait of this current side.

Pacers and Tahir all in the wickets column

Chasing a paltry target of 153 was not a tough ask for the Proteas, who got there with more than 20 overs to spare. The win was set up by a collective bowling performance in the first innings though, as Steyn, Ngidi, Phehlukwayo and leggie Imran Tahir all chipped in with at least 2 wickets each. It was Dale Steyn, finishing with figures of 2/18 in 7 overs, who went home with the man of the match award, reassuring his skipper that he is back to his very best as South Africa look ahead to the 2019 World Cup.

The veteran paceman was all praises for the crop of bowlers who bowled their hearts out alongside him to rout Australia. Speaking after the match, he said, “We’ve been bowling really well of late … one of out strengths has been our bowling for a while now. There are some guys that are just on it. Lungi (Ngidi) has been going hot since the IPL, KG (Rabada) has just been a fantastic competitor for the last few years now and I’m just so excited to be playing again that I’m just happy to be on the field again.”

The 35-year old particularly lauded leg-spinner Imran Tahir, and even tipped him as the best while ball spinner in the world today. “Imran Tahir is probably the best spinner in the world … or arguably the best white ball bowler in the world. Everyone is just feeding off each other and it’s just a fantastic space to be around,” he said about the leggie.

The second ODI between the two sides takes place on Friday in Hobart.

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