Dale Steyn Sidelined Again With Groin Injury

South Africa star Dale Steyn is pegged back by injury once again. The right-arm pacer had to leave the field four balls into his 11th over while on County Championship duty for Hampshire.

The county has confirmed that the fast bowler suffered a groin injury. The extent of that injury is currently unknown and it will be fully assessed on Tuesday (August 21).

Steyn had bowled 10.4 overs for figures 0/41 on Day 2 of his side’s clash against Nottinghamshire on Monday. However, his participation in the game was cut short as he left the field after a brief chat with captain James Vince and the umpires.

Liam Dawson then went on to complete the Proteas star’s over.

The latest injury will be another huge setback for Steyn who has suffered a spate of injuries in the last couple of years. A shoulder in Australia in November 2016 kept him out for most of 2017.

The star bowler made his much-awaited return to Test cricket during the first Test at New Lands against India this year. However, the joy was short-lived as another injury saw him getting ruled out of the game and subsequently the series.

He recently played in the two-Test series in Sri Lanka which the Proteas lost 2-0. And the veteran pacer looked far from his best. On unfriendly wickets, he got one each in the two innings of the opening Test and none in the second. The two wickets, nonetheless, helped him equal Shaun Pollock as South Africa’s all-time leading wicket-taker with 421.

Recently, Steyn said he is looking to retire from limited-overs formats after the 2019

“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 had said at a promotional event in Mumbai last month.

However, Steyn had gone on to say that he would love to continue playing Test cricket even after 2019 World Cup.

“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 in Cape Town), I landed in a foothole. It was rotten luck,” he had said.