Dale Steyn passed fit for Boxing Day Test against England

Steyn has been passed fit for the Durban Test

The return of Dale Steyn will be a big boost to South Africa as they look to bounce back from their 3-0 loss against India by beating England in the Test series that starts on Boxing Day at Durban.

The fast bowler who missed the last three Tests against India with a groin strain he suffered during the first Test in Mohali. Having been out of action since, he passed his vigorous fitness test in Durban on Thursday with flying colours.

Cape Cobras physio Shane Jabaar put the 32-year-old through his paces and ensured that he couuld bowl fast, run without getting fatigue and also pull his weight, when it comes to fielding after being out of action for a month-and-a-half.

Steyn was hoping to beat Shaun Pollock’s record of 421 Test wickets and become the country’s all-time leading wicket-taker in the series against India, having started the series just 19 scalps behind.

Injury curtailed that plan, but he will have another chance to overtake Pollock and claim the record at home against the country he made his Test debut against in 2004 at Port Elizabeth.

The return of Steyn will be a welcome relief for the Proteas, who have been plagued by injuries to their fast bowlers during their long tour of India. Vernon Philander is out of the first two Tests with ankle ligament damage, but both Steyn and Morne Morkel are fit to lead the attack.

The mercurial fast bowler’s comeback will also pit two of the finest new ball bowling pairs in Tests, against each other. James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who are coming on the back of an impressive series in the UAE will be looking to bowl better than Steyn and Morkel, as they look to give their side some solace in away Tests.

Although Anderson is all but certain to become the sixth-highest wicket-taker in the history of Tests at the end of the South Africa series, former South Africa skipper Graeme Smith is quite clear, on who he prefers to have in his side.

"I don't think there is a match-up," Smith told ESPNcricinfo. "Dale Steyn is by far the best fast bowler in the world, to me, the fastest to 400 wickets, he's performed all around the world, not only in swinging conditions. For me there's no greater bowler in the world that gets a sniff and is able to create an opportunity and win a game for a team.

"Jimmy, I have a lot of respect for him, a great swing bowler," he added. "He will play a key role in the series, because if he's not picking up wickets he still holds the game with his ability to create pressure."