'Cranky' Steyn out to prove a point

As if facing his fiercest rivals ahead of two months of head-to-head battles isn’t enough to send the always fiery Dale Steyn into overdrive, both teams expect the pace ace will have an added point to prove when the five match ODI Series between South Africa and Australia begins on Friday (9.30pm AEST).

Steyn has regularly spoken about the extra yard or two of pace he strives to find when tackling Australia, a team that the Proteas love to beat more than any other in world cricket.

And who they will tackle in the current series of ODI encounters and then three Tests in Australia that immediately follow.

But adding extra fuel to the 33-year-old’s combustibility is the fact he was omitted from South Africa’s line-up for the recent ODI tri-series against the Australians and the West Indies in the Caribbean last June.

Largely on the basis of his previous form with the white ball, although South Africa coach Russell Domingo later went on to explain that the slow, spin-friendly pitches in the Caribbean meant Steyn was unlikely to have played a major role with the ball had he made the cut.

Instead of using the time to rest and rehearse, Steyn signed for a brief T20 stints in the UK and the West Indies and has made it clear he was none-too-pleased about being overlooked for national duties when he was clearly itching to play.

A response that South Africa’s ODI captain Faf du Plessis, standing in for AB de Villiers who will be sidelined from this five-match series and beyond due to impending elbow surgery, acknowledged fitted comfortably with Steyn’s often irascible public demeanour.

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“Dale’s personality is sometimes a bit cranky, that’s what you see that fire when he gets a wicket,” du Plessis said at Centurion today when asked if Steyn was genuinely miffed to have been excluded from the one-day set-up.

“That’s why we love him like that.

“I think even at the start of the season when he came back for the Test matches (against New Zealand last month) he felt like he needed to prove a point.

“When you’re the number one bowler in the world, if you don’t produce the goods regularly people are going to ask questions and that comes with its own pressures.

“Now he’s obviously back in the one-day team and he will definitely try to make a huge impact and try and show everyone that one-day cricket is still a huge part of his future.”

Steyn, who boasts more than 600 wickets from his 84 Tests and in excess of 150 limited-overs internationals across both white-ball formats, showed just how eager he was to prove that point in his most recent outing at Super Sport Park in Centurion where tomorrow’s one-dayer will be fought.

A match return of 8-99 from less than 40 overs against the Black Caps that spearheaded the Proteas to a 204-run win, in conditions that have historically aided fast bowlers.

While the pitch for tomorrow’s opening ODI is expected to be a little more batter friendly despite being early in the South African cricket season, du Plessis believes the sight of Steyn’s name on the huge farm barn style scoreboard delivers his team a decisive edge.

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“Any team that he comes into, Dale Steyn, it’s just the fear that he puts into the opposition” du Plessis said in explaining the advantage that a fit and firing Steyn can deliver.

“Just the name itself, you get a few guys around the world that have that.

“They’ve done well for a period of time and put just that little bit of doubt in your head as the opposition because of the name.

“But his skill and his experience are something that you can’t get overnight and Dale is one hundred per cent fit and fresh, and wants to bowl quick.

“He’s an extremely big asset to whatever team it is.”

Australia captain Steve Smith, who confirmed that Australia – like their South African rivals – won’t name their starting XI until shortly before tomorrow’s coin toss, is aware of the threat that a fired-up Steyn will pose.

Largely because, being the unapologetic cricket buff that he is, he tuned into those Test matches between South Africa and New Zealand (one of which was ruined by rain) in the aftermath of his own team’s Test humbling at the hands of Sri Lanka.

“He’s a class bowler and has been for a long time,” Smith said today.

“I watched the Test series against New Zealand where he looked like he was almost back to his best.

“He’s been left out of their one-day side for a little while now so he’s probably out to prove a point.

“No doubt he’ll be up and ready for this series.”

While neither team has finalised their XI for tomorrow’s opener, Smith confirmed that opener Aaron Finch has recovered from the fractured finger he sustained in Sri Lanka and is expected to be available for selection.

Which means he could slot into the line-up at the expense of Usman Khawaja, man of the match in last Tuesday’s one-off ODI against Ireland at Benoni where he made an unbeaten 82 at the top of the order.

And although former South Africa Test captain Hashim Amla, whose wife gave birth to the couple’s second child earlier in the week, missed the pre-match training today due to illness, he is expected to play.

“I’m 99 per cent sure he’ll be fine,” du Plessis said.