Dale Steyn: The lion can come back roaring

There's something lively about Dale Steyn's celebration after taking a wicket. With the follow through, he instinctively clenches his fists and goes through the motions like a pumped up kid. As a cricket fan, there's no greater sight than watching fast bowling at its peak.

Although fast bowling can be termed one of the most important aspects of the game, it can't be ignored that the imposition of tighter field restrictions and heavier bats used in the modern game have surely put the fast bowlers at a far greater disadvantage than their famed predecessors. But some things don't change.

One can't deny the romanticism associated with balls whizzing past the outside edge at obnoxious speeds. It can be safely assumed that Steyn does cause a lot of trouble by bowling fast. Swinging the ball prodigiously at over 140kmph, he runs in all day with little or no respite for the batsmen.

Steyn's entry into world cricket coincided with an era when legends such as Shaun Pollock and Glenn McGrath were retiring, or on the verge of retirement.

Fast bowlers such as Steyn and Brett Lee took on the mantle from a generation of medium fast bowlers who focussed on beating the batsmen with precise line and length. With Steyn at his peak, South Africa's bowling became an all-conquering unit, able to take on the might of the Aussies and the others alike.

Post-2013 decline

Dale Steyn's career as a fast bowler can be divided distinctively into 2 phases, the pre-2013 era and the post 2013 era.

Before 2013, the presence of a bowler of Steyn's repetoire was enough to send shivers down an opponent's spine. He generated swing both ways and opening batsmen made detailed plans to face Steyn first and then decide about the rest. Combined with Morne Morkel's contrasting hit-the-deck approach, it was almost impossible for even the best batsmen to prepare for a set approach to deal with their combined threat.

Post 2013, it was altogether different. Steyn was not a guaranteed starter for the South Africans, mostly due to injuries or loss of form. Combined with the emergence of a new generation of bowlers like Vernon Philander, Steyn had to fight for a place in the One-day side as well as the Test side.

In the meanwhile, his confidence in his own bowling abilities dipped and he changed his grip from orthodox seam-up to cross-seam in international matches, as well as the Indian Premier League. With his injury last November, many believed it was the straw that finally broke the camel's back. But fit again, Steyn will definitely have a point to prove.

Steyn was absent for the best part of this year and once fit now, he has currently opted to play for the Titans in South Africa in order to improve his chances of making the national side. We can only hope that Steyn, the legend that he is, will return to the international fold at the earliest.

Dale Steyn has always given his best, but at 34 years of age, we can't be faulted to believe that he is past his prime.

At the same time, he is also a valuable addition to any side not just for his pace but for his experience in playing a large number of matches in South Africa and outside. In subcontinental conditions, he is a handful with his brand of reverse swing bowling and can teach a thing or two to the new crop as well.