Dale Steyn calls Mitchell Johnson a scary bowler

Dale Steyn calls Mitchell Johnson a scary bowler: On 30th July, the Proteas speed demon Dale Steyn engraved his name in the exclusive club of bowlers to take 400 wickets. Steyn’s 400^th scalp was Bangladeshi southpaw Tamim Iqbal on the first day of 2^nd Test match at Mirpur. Dale Steyn became the 2^nd South African and overall 13^th bowler to reach the milestone of 400 test scalps. The 32-year old is also the joint fastest pace bowler to reach the 400 wicket mark in 80 Tests while overall he is second after Muttiah Muralitharan.

Reflecting on his fitness and his present time on the 22 yards, Steyn Gun seems to be in love with every bit of the game and said that, “If I am fit and I am strong I will bowl all day. It is really difficult conditions to bat and bowl in Bangladesh. I love what I am doing right now, even if it’s in 40 degree heat and the ball is staying ankle high and it’s not bouncing and there’s no seam and it’s very slow. Shit, I love it. I would rather be here than anywhere else right now.”

“Overall as a bowling unit, we are looking to get 20 wickets and so far we are doing quite well. I would have been very happy if I had taken just one wicket in my international career. And I managed to get 400. I never thought that that would happen. Ever in my life”, he said.

South African team was heart-broken after the Semi-Final loss against Kiwis in the recently concluded World Cup 2015. Dale Steyn got limited chances in the Indian Premiere League (IPL) as he was frequently benched by his IPL franchise in favor of Trent Boult.

Remembering that phase of time in his illustrious cricket journey, Steyn said that, “There was a period after the IPL when I actually didn’t want to have a ball in my hand. I just needed maybe two or three weeks – maybe four weeks – just to get that love back again. I said before coming here that sometimes if you don’t have that love or passion for the game, things kind of don’t go your way. And then when you have got it you just don’t want to let it go. I just love being on the field right now.”

When asked about how he felt the moment he got the wicket of Tamim Iqbal, his 400^th Test scalp, the Protea pace spearhead said, “No, it’s was not really different to any of the other wickets I’ve taken, to be honest. It’s nice to have the numbers but I’ve had a lot better moments in my cricketing career. But it’s cool – it’s nice to have 400.”

Talking about his new style hairband which has been the butt of many jokes and trolls in the recent times, he said that, “It’s pretty cool to take a wicket and get the headband off and the hair out. I think I’ve taken some abuse about my hair. Funnily enough, it doesn’t influence the bowling at all. So, I guess, shut up.”

Thursday was a day of milestones for fast bowlers in cricket as Mitchell Johnson and James Anderson also completed their 300 Test wickets and 700 international wickets respectively. Steyn also grabbed his 400^th test wicket on the day. Dale Steyn also talked about Mitchell Johnson’s game plan and his devilish moustache.

The second highest Test wicket-taker for South Africa, Steyn said that, “Mitch is a scary bowler. I think he is one of those guys who are never going to be a line and length bowler. His captain is never going to ask him to run in and just hit a line and length. He’s going to bowl fast, he’s going to scare you and he’s going to get you out like that. He’s going to make you make a mistake because of his pace”.

“I think that’s why he bowls well against England – because they don’t like him. Even when he is bowling badly, they still don’t like facing him, and he still going to get wickets. That’s his strength; that he is quite a scary guy to face regardless of his pace. He is quite an intimidating bloke with his long moustache,” Dale Steyn said.