Dale Steyn: Only games I dread are when I'm up against AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn (File Photo)

AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn have come a long way since making their Test debuts in the same match against England 10 years ago. The duo are widely regarded as the best batsman and best bowler in the world respectively and remain best friends off the field.

Ahead of the first Test against West Indies, Steyn has revealed that there are only two matches in the year that he doesn’t look forward to and those are the ones against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he comes up against de Villiers.

"There are only two games in a year I dread - it's the two IPL games I play against this guy (de Villiers)," Steyn said.

The South African ODI captain has taken the world’s premier fast bowler to the cleaners in recent seasons of the IPL. De Villiers hit Steyn for 23 runs in an over in 2012, and went one better this year during a match-winning knock of 89* from just 41 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore.

The 31-year-old also added that de Villiers was undisputedly the best batsman in the world at the moment.

De Villiers returned the favour and said that Steyn's future as a “special player” for years to come was cemented in the very first Test they played together.

"We started together domestically and internationally and I remember our first Test match together in Port Elizabeth, Dale steaming in and getting Michael Vaughan out and that's when everyone realised he is going to be a special player for years to come," the 30-year-old said.