5 reasons why Dale Steyn should retire from limited overs cricket

Fast, furious, menacing – words that define Dale Steyn’s stamp of authority on world cricket and over the years, he has raised the bar. When Steyn was at his peak, it was hard to face his aggressive bowling, but the recent time period hasn’t been worth cherishing for the South African.

Several factors have strung together in contributing to Steyn’s slump in his career as he hasn’t been a regular feature of the South African team since the 2015 World Cup Down Under. While the pacer is straining hard at regaining his place in the team, a smooth road isn’t in store for him.

While a Test comeback is still a possibility, an ODI comeback will be hard for Steyn. We take a look into the reasons why Steyn should move away from the limited overs format.

#5 Steyn is not getting younger

There is a famous saying by Shakespeare, ‘Time and tide waits for none’. It’s a truth, which is difficult to accept, but people aren’t left with any option other than flowing with the harsh reality. Age is also something that scampers along at the rate of knots and one doesn’t even get to know about it.

When cricketers enter their thirties, performance graph of most of them tends to experience a downward trend. Dale Steyn is 33 years old, which is pretty high for a genuine fast bowler and claiming a nomination in the national limited overs setup won’t be a walk in the park for the old fox.

Nevertheless, Steyn hasn’t run out of gas and his service will still be a handful for the Proteas to progress in the upcoming Champions Trophy, provided he gets the nod over other South African pacers.

#4 Fitness- A big concern

Bowling at a fair click demands fitness of the highest standards and Steyn has lived up to it with precision. The last couple of years, however, haven’t seen the best of times for the veteran as he has dealt with issues concerning his body.

Shoulder’s a vital component for generating pace and Steyn has been struggling with it over the last two years or so. In 2015 he was dropped due to a sore shoulder and again in 2016, the same story was repeated. He was ruled out of the Australia tour in November in order to prove fitness by playing in the Big Bash League.

In a recent interview with the media Steyn minced no words in putting emphasis on fitness even if it meant cutting down on the race pace for which he is known for.

#3 Form- A roadblock

‘Form is temporary, but class is permanent’- Dale Steyn’s class is hardly questioned, but form has been a major concern for Steyn over the last couple of years or so. It’s hard to imagine Steyn getting dropped from a limited overs side.

Steyn has a perfect good length delivery that jags away and into batsmen, which’s pretty challenging to counter, but the scenario changes while bowling in the death overs. Slog overs require Yorkers to be hurled in at regular intervals and Steyn has struggled to cope with the challenge.

The result is that batsmen measure him out to spank him all around the park. In the tri-series against West Indies and Australia in June, Kyle Abbott was picked ahead of him. Also, he was sidelined by the Sunrisers Hyderabad team for the most part of IPL 2016.

#2 Emergence of energetic bowlers

When Steyn came into the limelight, he was deemed as an electrifying prospect for South Africa. A spring chicken, he never curbed on his instincts, but time has moved on and the man from Phalaborwa isn’t quite the same man at the age of 33.

South Africa has recently thumped Sri Lanka in the ODI series by taking an unassailable lead of 3-0 in the series. The likes of Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada and Dwayne Pretorius have gelled well on wickets, which are not conducive to fast bowling.

The spinners have combined well with the pacers to fetch wins for the Proteas in ODI’s and T20s. The current crop of bowlers is promising enough to take forward South African cricket. Though he holds a strong reputation, it won’t be easy for Steyn to make a comeback in the limited overs team.

#1 Prolongation of Test career

There are qualities that always make a difference between the good and the exceptional. In limited overs cricket, Steyn has performed well, but in Test cricket, he has bettered the best for a prolonged time span. In the limited overs team, he has been in and out while he has been an inextricable part of the Test team.

I dare say that Steyn has earned most of his accolades and appreciation by playing for the Test side. He likes the longest format of the game where very few batsmen get on top of him and end up succumbing to his prowess with the red cherry.

At this stage of his career, in the stranglehold of injuries, Steyn has much to offer in Test cricket than in the 50 over and 20 over format. It will also eliminate fatigue, which will eventually turn out fruitful for the Proteas Test setup, where he can unleash his expertise with heart and soul.