'We were under hotel arrest' - Dale Steyn shares his experience amid Coronavirus scare after the suspension of PSL 2020

South African pacer Dale Steyn was getting in the groove of making regular appearances for his national team. But, with the outbreak of coronavirus, the pacer has again become out of action. The 36-year-old Protea recently returned to his home country from Pakistan Super League after the tournament was cancelled just before the semi-finals.

Steyn was one of the foreign players who were stuck in the hotel room before finally getting an opportunity to fly back home. He was playing for the Islamabad United. He was also supposed to feature in the IPL 2020 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Now, with even the cash-rich league delayed, the right-arm pacer is staying back home and chilling.

Speaking about the lack of sport in the world, Steyn lamented the current situation where everything is blocked off due to the threat of Coronavirus. “It is actually such a pity that everything is being blocked off, because in a country like South Africa where we have all of our problems from the past- culture, religion and ethnic backgrounds. The one thing that brings everybody together is sports,” said Steyn.

‘We were advised not to go out’: Dale Steyn

Steyn talked about how sports is a medium of bringing people together in South Africa and how is it being hampered at present due to the outbreak Coronavirus. “But now at the moment, you don’t have that. in South Africa we kind of like looking for things that unite people in big groups. When you don’t have sports it’s like oh what do we fall back onto,” the veteran who has 439 Test wickets under his belt, said.

“It just seems like the only topic of the conversation any WhatsApp group that I am part of its really tough to escape normally if I am on holiday I will be planning a fishing trip or surfing trip at the moment I am just chilling at home,” said Steyn in the conversation with ESPNcricinfo.

About his time in Pakistan during which restrictions were put on players, Steyn said, “We were under that kind of hotel arrest, advised not to go out and wander the streets which is totally fine. I don’t want to break the protocol and have something happen and the blame for cricket never been played in Pakistan again because I did something stupid.”