Dale Steyn - The Complete Firebreathing Professional

Even the least knowledgeable cricket fan would have called last night＊s South Africa-Zimbabwe result correctly. That would also explain why nobody from Hambantota even bothered to show up 每 there must have been 10 fans in the stadium. Two overs into the match and what little niggling doubt there could have been about the result was effectively silenced as Morne Morkel scalped two wickets so casually that you could have well redefined the phrase ※consummate ease.§ But it was Dale Steyn that brought, as he always does, the fire breathing intensity that looked almost out of place, given the opposition. His intensity and concentration, this respect for the opponent is, for my money, what best defines him as the professional that he is. The man could be bowling to a schoolboy at a charity fundraiser and he would not drop his focus. And last night, when everybody else showed up for what could well have been a walkover, Steyn brought the heat.

No player is ever going to openly admit that he is taking the opposition lightly 每 but every once in a while, you can＊t help but wonder if that does, in fact, happen. There＊s no reason why Afghanistan should have been allowed to get as far as they did with India. Weak teams are shut out of the contest early and quickly as possible. Whether or not the Indian players took things lightly is another issue, with Dale Steyn last night, there was no question 每 he did not. At least, there was no question after the first camera shot of his face where you could see that look in his eyes. If you＊ve never seen him bowl 每 and mind you, you don＊t need to know anything about his style, technique or strategy. All you need to do is watch one ball and you will understand why commentators sound embarrassed because they can＊t do better than the clich谷s of ※steaming in§ and ※charging in.§

It＊s not the steaming or the charging that＊s mesmerising to watch 每 every fast bowler believes he does that. With Steyn though, you actually wondering whether, even though you＊re miles away, watching through a screen without any semblance of speed measuring device, whether he might just be faster than the other guys. It＊s the look in his eyes. And at the risk of sounding like a commentator, it＊s the look of hunger in his eyes that leaves you convinced that there is no way this guy is taking the opposition lightly even though the entire city knew he could afford to.

He did no such thing and neither did any of his teammates. South Africa buried Zimbabwe leaving the final tie against Sri Lanka a genuinely, meaningless formality given that both teams have already qualified for the next round. Of course, both captains will prattle on about ※not taking things lightly§ and ※building momentum going into the next round§ and experts will bang on about ※how difficult it would be for South Africa in front a vociferous home crowd§ but you don＊t need to worry about any of that. All you need to do is watch Dale Steyn and tell me if I am wrong.