IPL 2025: After leaving SRH, Dale Steyn joins a new team

In a major boost to England's fast-bowling prospects, South African legend Dale Steyn is gearing up to mentor some of the UK’s most promising young pacers during an intensive training camp in South Africa next month.

Dale Steyn has joined the England Lions as a mentor on a short-term basis. According to ESPNcricinfo, Dale Steyn is joining Andrew Flintoff's coaching team for his first tour as England Lions head coach. However, the Proteas great will mentor England’s promising fast bowlers on a short-term basis.

Dale Steyn joins the England Lions as a Mentor for the South Africa tour

This addition will bring invaluable insights from one of the game's most iconic fast bowlers, with Steyn bringing his 439-Test wicket experience to the table. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has already announced a 19-man training squad for the South Africa tour, running from November 20 to December 14, featuring mainly a high-performance training camp.

The England Lions will take on South Africa A in a four-day match in Western Province. It will be the final game for the Lions in South Africa. Steyn’s role will focus on guiding the England Lions’ pace battery, which is loaded with 10 seamers eager to prove themselves on the international stage.

Among these are Pat Brown and Josh Hull, who have already represented England, along with Dillon Pennington and John Turner, who were part of the national squad but didn’t get debut caps. The remaining six fast bowlers are Zaman Akhtar, Kasey Aldridge, Henry Crocombe, Tom Lawes, Harry Moore, and Mitchell Stanley.

Neil McKenzie appointed as batting coach for the England Lions

They will represent the next generation of English cricket, and with now Dale Steyn at their helm, the expectations are sky-high. Neil McKenzie, another South African legend, will support Steyn in this developmental journey as the batting unit. McKenzie’s expertise will be crucial as he nurtures talents such as Freddie McCann, Ben McKinney, Hamza Sheikh, and others.

McKenzie, who has already worked with Andrew Flintoff in The Hundred this year for the Northern Superchargers, will be crucial in shaping England’s next crop of batters. Neil McKenzie has enough coaching experience, having worked with South Africa, Desert Vipers, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL.

Ed Barney, who recently replaced Mo Bobat as the ECB's Performance Director, said that the seam-loaded Lions squad reflected "England's short- and long-term needs" in all three formats of the game. Barney further stated: “Over half the squad consists of seamers, reflecting our continued focus on supporting these players to achieve their potential.”

Jacques Kallis was overlooked by the ECB for Neil McKenzie and Dale Steyn

Interestingly, legendary South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis was reportedly in consideration for the England Lions’ upcoming South Africa camp, but the ECB has opted to move forward with Steyn and McKenzie to have a dynamic mix of expertise for the youngsters.

ECB has been leveraging global cricketing experience for the next generation of England talents, as earlier this year, Dinesh Karthik joined the Lions set-up for an India visit, and now McKenzie and Steyn’s inclusion marked another big step toward blending local knowledge with international experience.