Dale Steyn to stop playing white-ball cricket after the World Cup 2019

South African pacer Dale Steyn has of late been struggling with serious injuries and thus putting in more efforts towards comebacks than in a game. In the last one and a half year he has constantly been out of action and recently made a comeback during South Africa’s tour of Sri Lanka. It wasn’t an impactful return as he could just scalp two wickets in as many Tests. Steyn has at this point decided that he will call it time on his white-ball career after the World Cup 2019.

With his second wicket in the Test series, the right-arm pacer also equalled Shaul Pollock’s tally as the highest wicket-taker for the country in the format. Steyn wants to stop playing limited-overs cricket in order to extend his Test career as by the time we approach the World Cup 2023 he will be 40.

I’ll be 40 by the next World Cup

“I will be trying to get to that World Cup (in England). But after the World Cup I don’t see myself playing white ball cricket for South Africa. By the time the next World Cup comes, I will be 40,” Steyn said at a promotional event for ‘GoPro’ as quoted by News18.

The South African ODI unit is still coming to terms with the fact that they will head into the mega event without their enigmatic batter AB de Villiers. However, the 35-year-old is quite satisfied with the experience in the batting line-up but also highlighted the lack of it in the lower order.

“If you look at the batting lineup, our top six have played 1,000 games, but lower half – from eight to eleven who are currently playing – not even 150 games. You need to draw on experience. I hope that will be my trump card when the selection comes to the World Cup. I may not necessarily play all the time. But I think my experience will help with me just being there,” he added.

Want to play Test cricket as long as possible

After sitting out of international action for a while with a broken shoulder, he made his first comeback against India when the No.1 side toured South Africa earlier this year. But he couldn’t last the duration of the first Test and picked up another injury that ensured he spent the next few months rehabilitating as well.

“When it comes to Test cricket, I would like to play as long as possible. I have finally come out of a cloud of injuries. I broke my shoulder and in my first game on return (against India) I landed in a foothole. It was rotten luck.

“It’s quite difficult to come back from a broken shoulder, especially with your bowling arm. I feel that’s (injury) gone and I am fit. I played two Test matches without an injury (against Sri Lanka recently), bowled at good pace and never went off the field because of niggles. It’s a big plus,” Steyn added.

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