Dale Steyn Archives

Dale Steyn offers help to spirited Nepal after near-upset against England

MUMBAI: Former South Africa fast-bowling great Dale Steyn has praised the Nepal cricket team’s fearless display and even offered his services to them after their dramatic performance against England in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday.

Nepal pushed England to the brink in a thrilling contest but fell agonisingly short by just five runs, finishing on 180-6 while chasing a daunting 185-run target.

The spirited effort nearly produced one of the biggest upsets in tournament history and underlined Nepal’s growing reputation on the global stage.

Impressed by their fight, Steyn took to social media platform X and wrote: “Nepal, I offer my services to you if you ever need ’em! Up, up and UP.”

Nepal began the chase with intent as openers Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh stitched together a brisk 37-run stand.

Sheikh departed for 7, while Bhurtel continued the momentum with a lively 29 off 17 balls, including four boundaries and a six, before falling with the score at 42-2.

Captain Rohit Paudel then partnered Dipendra Singh Airee to revive the innings, adding a crucial 82-run stand in 54 balls.

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Airee led the charge with a fluent 44 off 29 deliveries, striking six fours and a six, before Sam Curran broke the partnership.

Paudel followed soon after for a composed 39 off 34 balls, leaving Nepal at 126-4 in the 16th over.

Nepal’s push suffered another setback when Aarif Sheikh fell for 10, but Lokesh Bam reignited hopes with a counter-attacking cameo.

With 24 needed from the final two overs, Mark Wood conceded 14 runs but removed Gulsan Jha, leaving Nepal requiring 10 off the last over.

Curran held his nerve brilliantly, conceding just five runs to seal a narrow victory for England.

Lokesh Bam remained unbeaten with 39 off just 20 balls, including four boundaries and two sixes, bringing Nepal within touching distance of a historic win.

READ: Paul Stirling joins Rohit Sharma in elite T20 World Cup list

AB de Villiers recalls last-ball chat with Dale Steyn in 2015 semi-final

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers opened up on the 2015 World Cup nerve-wracking semi-final against New Zealand, reflecting on the chat with pacer Dale Steyn before the final ball of the match.

Back in 2015, New Zealand defeated South Africa by four wickets with just one ball to spare to set up the final with Australia.

Speaking on the Beard Before Wicket Podcast, AB de Villiers reflected on the key moments, pressure, and the crowd at Eden Park during that semi-final

“We had so many chances to win that semi and I think we had Aussiey’s number in that final,” he said.

“Never know now, but we beat them quite a few times leading up to that. So, we had a bit of a mental edge, and I was incredibly excited to go and face them in the final, which obviously never happened, ” he lamented.

He also recalled the noisy crowd that day and the impact on South Africa while rueing the dropped chances.

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“That day at Eden Park, one of the hardest challenges of my life. It was so loud. They [the crowd] did well to sort of intimidate us. I thought we played well, played a good game of cricket, just fumbled a couple in the field, and it is what it is now,” revealed De Villiers.

The batting maestro highlighted the pivotal moment before the final ball, revealing a chat with Dale Steyn.

“I had told Dale,’ You get that natural away shape, go hard length, cross seam, just fire it in, beat the bat,” he said.

“Looking back now, maybe a yorker. But at the time, I honestly thought that was the right plan. Hard length, he can hit it straight up, you’ve got him. And he pulled it off.”

Following that ball, De Villiers and the South Africa players became emotional and were seen lying on the ground.

“That’s why I dropped to my knees, because I immediately felt like, it’s on me. And that’s what you feel like—you know, that’s how we play the game, that’s how you want sportsmen to play: to put everything on the line and feel like you’ve got everything to lose,” he concluded.

READ: Former captain comments on Babar Azam’s match-winning ability

Dale Steyn criticizes Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar for chasing personal milestones

Former South African pacer Dale Steyn has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the drawn fourth Test between India and England, calling out all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar for chasing personal milestones once the match result was beyond doubt.

With the Test meandering towards a draw, England skipper Ben Stokes offered Jadeja a handshake to end proceedings early.

India, however, declined the gesture, allowing both Jadeja and Sundar to bring up their centuries before the match was eventually called off, a move that didn’t sit well with everyone.

The incident sparked a debate online, with South African spinner Tabraiz Shamsi defending India’s choice. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Shamsi wrote:

“Why is there such a big deal being made about the Indians choosing not to accept the offer to end the game in a draw immediately? The offer was made, the offer was rejected, and they were fully entitled to make their choice. They got their 100s which they worked hard for. Game over.”

But Dale Steyn saw it differently. Responding to Shamsi, he suggested the Indians put personal glory ahead of the spirit of the game.

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“Shamo, this onion has many layers to it, and each one will make someone cry. The only issue I see here is the one thing people aren’t realizing — the batters weren’t playing for 100s, they were batting for a DRAW. That was the goal,” he wrote.

Steyn further added that once the draw was secured, the right thing would’ve been to shake hands.

“It’s not then the time to realize they’re safe and say, ‘No, we’d prefer some free milestones.’ Although within the rules, it just seems a little… well, odd,” he added.

While conceding that Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar batted well, Steyn believed they should’ve accelerated earlier if centuries were on their minds.

“At least then, we could all agree no team tried to outdo the other in this weird situation,” he concluded.

READ: England to play Australia Prime Minister’s XI in pink-ball match

Haris Rauf reveals the greatest cricketer of last 25 years

Pakistan speedster Haris Rauf has named former South Africa star pacer Dale Steyn as the greatest cricketer seen in the last 25 years.

Haris, the second-highest wicket-taker in the ongoing Major League Cricket (MLC), featured in a recent interview on a sports platform, where he shed light on various aspects of his cricketing career.

During the interview, he heaped high praise on Dale Steyn, calling him the greatest cricketer.

“Dale Steyn,” Haris Rauf replied when he was asked about the greatest cricketer in the last 25 years.

The 31-year-old revealed his most memorable match in his cricketing career, highlighting the intensity of India-Pakistan matches.

“The 2021 World Cup, because I was playing in my first ICC event, and there was a lot of excitement about it,” he revealed.

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“To play the first match against India and win it was very special. The kind of pressure there was because I have heard that India-Pakistan matches are very high-pressure games, and no doubt I felt that,” he recalled.

Haris Rauf called the One Day International (ODI) World Cup the most significant event in cricket today. He also emphasized the role of social media in cricketers’ lives nowadays, when asked about one thing he wished for the cricketers of the past.

“The ODI World Cup is the greatest event. I wish there was no social media because it was nowhere in the past, and players could come and go as they pleased and express their thoughts. Now, if you step out, there are ten videos made of you,” he said.

For the unversed, Haris Rauf made his T20I debut for Pakistan against Bangladesh in 2020 and has claimed 119 wickets in 85 matches. The pacer, hailing from Rawalpindi, has also played a Test and 50 ODIs.

READ: Kane Williamson hails Virat Kohli as ‘greatest all-format player’

AB de Villiers warns England, urges India to use Bumrah Like Steyn

South Africa’s batting maestro AB de Villiers has warned England ahead of the second Test, stating that Jasprit Bumrah could feature in the India playing XI as a surprise.

The second Test between India and Englnad will commence on 2 July at Edgbaston, a venue where India has not won a single match in the previous eight outings.

While speaking on his YouTube channel, De Villiers heaped high praise on Jasprit Bumrah, stressing his workload management. He suggested that India should outline a plan similar to the one used for managing former Proteas pacer Dale Steyn in the past.

“He is probably the top bowler in the world in all formats right now. So, it’s very difficult to decide a way to rest him, but in my opinion, Test cricket is the ultimate form of the game,” he said.

“And this Test series probably would’ve been the one, in my opinion, to get him ready for all five Test matches. That’s what we used to do with Dale (Steyn). Rest him in lesser important T20 and ODI series and get him ready for the big Test series against Australia, England, and India away from home,” AB de Villiers added.

He also lamented on Jasprit Bumrah not playing all test matches but warned England that India might use the right-arm pacer as a surprise weapon for the remainder of the series.

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“It’s unfortunate that with an inexperienced bowling attack that he’s not gonna play all the Test matches, so at least that’s how it seems to have been communicated in the media.”

“Maybe it’s all part of the surprise, saying, ‘We are thinking of resting Bumrah,’ but then he ends up playing all five Test matches as a surprise. I think being 1-0 down, that’s hopefully the surprise for Team India, ” Ab de Villiers stated while highlighting Bumrah’s workload management.

For context, before the five-match Test series against England, the Indian team management outlined a workload management plan for Jasprit Bumrah, allowing him to feature in only three Test matches.

The precautionary major was taken in light of Bumrah’s back surgery after the Border-Gavaskar series.

READ: Gautam Gambhir clears the air on Bumrah’s participation in remaining England Tests

Dale Steyn hails former Pakistan pacer for best yorker in history

Former South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn declared that the former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar had the best yorker in the history of cricket.

Steyn while responding to a social media post by Iceland Cricket gave his opinion about who he thinks had the best yorker.

Iceland Cricket, on their X (formerly Twitter) account, asked a question, “Which bowler has had the best yorker in history?”

Steyn responded with “99 World Cup, Shoaib Akhtar.”

For the unversed, Akhtar set the stage on fire during the 1999 ODI World Cup in England. He was instrumental in Pakistan’s journey to the final, where they lost to Australia in a one-sided affair.

Akhtar was Pakistan’s second highest-wicket taker in the tournament, behind Saqlain Mushtaq, with 16 wickets from 10 matches.

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The right-arm bowler is known as the fastest bowler in history, having set the record for the fastest ball ever. He bowled a 161.3 kph delivery during the 2003 World Cup match against England.

During his 11-year international career, which was plagued with injuries, he took 178 wickets in 46 Tests, 247 wickets in 163 ODIs, and 19 wickets in 15 T20Is.

READ: Pakistan thump Nepal to register first victory in Women’s Asia Cup 2024

Dale Steyn predicts T20 World Cup 2024 semi-finalists

Legendary South Africa pacer Dale Steyn named four teams, he foresees in the semi-finals of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, co-hosted by the United States of America (USA) and the West Indies.

Sharing his predictions via a video on Instagram, Steyn made a bold move by excluding defending champions England.

Notably, England, who were at one stage, on the verge of an early exit from the T20 World Cup 2024, pushed hard for the Super Eight qualification by registering thumping victories over Oman and Namibia.

Despite the 2022 champions’ current form, Dale Steyn does not foresee them making it into the knockouts.

“I think from this group (Group 2) I am going to go with South Africa and West Indies. I gotta go with South Africa because they are my team. England is a tough team, but I think South Africa and West Indies,” said Steyn.

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Dale Steyn then termed former champions India and Australia favourites from Group 2 to advance to the semi-finals but predicted that Afghanistan could push hard.

“And then from the other group (Group 1), it is a tough group but Australia because they just know how to win these tournaments and I have a feeling Afghanistan could push, but it is gonna be India,” Steyn added.

It is worth mentioning here that two teams from each group of Super Eights will qualify for the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-finals, scheduled on June 27. Whereas, the final of the tournament will take place on June 29.

READ: Mohammad Hafeez reveals players’ shocking behaviour during his tenure

Dale Steyn terms Babar Azam as the best all-format batter

KARACHI: South Africa’s legendary pacer Dale Steyn has termed Pakistan’s all-format captain, Babar Azam, as the best batter across all formats.

In a question/answer session, hosted by Steyn on his official Twitter handle. The legendary South African pacer responded to a follower’s question, “Who’s the best batsman across all formats currently in your opinion?”

Who's the best batsman across all formats currently in your opinion?

— ~☆ (@RABobsessed) April 14, 2022

Steyn was quick to respond as the right-arm pacer named Babar as the ‘best batter’.

“Maybe Babar? He’s pretty darn good,” he responded.

Maybe Babar? He’s pretty darn good

— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) April 14, 2022

It is pertinent to mention here that several cricketers have lauded the Pakistani batter including the likes of the legendary Australian captain Ricky Ponting, former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif, and some other prominent names as well.

Furthermore, former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson recently called Babar the second-best batter in Test cricket at the moment.

READ: Shane Watson rates Babar as the second-best batter in Test cricket