SA vs PAK: Dale Steyn Is Intrigued By A Bowling Contest Ahead Of South Africa's Match Against Pakistan
Published - 02 Nov 2022, 04:01 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:14 AM
Dale Steyn analyses South Africa’s critical Super 12 showdown with Pakistan at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Sydney, intrigued by the confrontation of two elite attacks.
The Proteas legend laments that his team does not compete on the bumpy Perth pitch, but he predicts an exciting match on an SCG surface.
“I think I would have liked to see these two-speed attacks go head to head in Perth.” That would have been amazing, but they’re in Sydney, on a somewhat different pitch,” Steyn stated.
“There are more runs in Sydney, and sometimes a new technique is required; you want to see fast bowlers who can adapt.”
South Africa has fond memories of batting in Sydney, where they have joined New Zealand in scoring more than 200 runs so far in the competition. India, too, looked powerful with the bat in their encounter against the Netherlands at the SCG, hitting 179/2 with three half-centuries.
“They’re just two wonderful attacks”: Dale Steyn
The pressure on hitters to repeat their earlier scores in the competition might work in the bowlers’ favour, Steyn emphasized. Both bowling groups could vary their tempo or perhaps choose to use more spin options rather than bowl on Perth’s bumpy wicket.
“It’s basically up to the batters to see how they manage a better scoring field. How are they going to deal with that in order to overcome each other?” Dale Steyn stated.
“I’m curious to see how the bowlers adapt their approach and how they go about their business on a surface that’s different from what they’ve seen before, but they’re simply two fantastic attacks all-around, both sides.”
Regarding the outcome of tomorrow, Dale Steyn liked his countrymen but didn’t completely rule out Babar Azam’s side as long as they supported their business strategies.
“I’m going with South Africa right now because they’re on a very hot run,” Steyn remarked.
“It’s a game that Pakistan must win, and sometimes they play on emotion, and if they can play with talent, I think they’ll match South Africa, but if they play on emotion, they might just come up short,” Dale Steyn added.
Pakistan will lock horns with South Africa in Match 36 of the T20 World Cup 2022 on Thursday (November 3) in Sydney.
