While the numbers are evidence of the successful service AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn have given South Africa over the last decade, for them, creating records seems secondary to leaving a legacy
Firdose Moonda15-Dec-2014Scores of 28 and 14 and match figures of 3 for 146 rank among the least notable for AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn except for one thing: those were the numbers they registered on Test debut on December 17, 2004. Exactly 10 years to the day, de Villiers and Steyn will play their 96th and 76th Test respectively, against West Indies, and will celebrate a decade in international cricket together at the ground they both call home. Neither could have asked for a better place to enjoy a special milestone.”This is where it started for me,” Steyn said, before de Villiers added: “I always get a very nice cheer from the crowd here.”Both de Villiers and Steyn are products of the Titans franchise, who are based at SuperSport Park. Although neither turns out for the domestic team regularly anymore because of international commitments, they have both thrilled fans with their performances for South Africa over the last decade.De Villiers has made a fifty in at least one innings in the last five Tests he has played at SuperSport Park while Steyn has taken five wickets in a match in all but one of the games he has featured in at the venue. Both are considered local legends, having also made their first-class debuts together at SuperSport Park in October 2003, and it is their faces predominantly, which adorn the giant photographs in the Titans’ offices. “We have special memories of playing together and playing here,” de Villiers said. “It’s a huge honour and a huge privilege to play here, to play together and to play for South Africa.”From the outset each knew the other had what it took to make it big. Steyn called de Villiers “without a doubt, the best batsman in the world,” who he hates bowling to. “There’s only two games a year I dread – it’s the two IPL games I play against this guy,” he said, while de Villiers said Steyn’s maiden Test revealed his potential. ” We started together domestically and internationally and I remember our first Test match together in Port Elizabeth, Dale steaming in and getting Michael Vaughan out and that’s when everyone realised he is going to be a special player for years to come.”‘I’ll keep bowling bouncers’ – Steyn
Dale Steyn joined the chorus calling for cricket to move on, however difficult it may be, following the death of Phillip Hughes. Steyn, who played against Hughes as recently as the ODI triangular series in Zimbabwe, promised not to tone down his own aggression as a consequence of the tragedy.
“I really feel for Phillip Hughes and his family. I think everybody has come out and said that it’s a terrible accident. But cricket will continue. We’ve had one guy who has unfortunately passed away from a freak accident and that’s what it is,” Steyn said.
“I have to be careful how I answer this but I know cricket is not everything in my life. From the point when I leave the ground today to when I get to the hotel, somebody else will have died from something else like from a car accident or murder and the world will go on and people will still get into their cars and drive to work.
And I am still going to bowl a bouncer, and I am still going to run hard and try and take your head off, so to speak. Not to kill anybody but I will continue to do bowl that way. It’s a terrible thing. Nobody ever wants to see anyone die doing what they love doing but cricket will just continue. We carry on.”
While de Villiers enjoyed a sustained run in the South African side after his initial appearance, Steyn was dropped after three games and only returned more than a year later. He did not establish himself in the ODI team until four years into his international career, which caused him to miss out on an event in 2007 he was desperate to be part of. “What amazes me is that I have only been to one World Cup in 10 years. I wish I had the opportunity to make another one,” Steyn said.Steyn will definitely feature at the 2015 event and will know that strong performances could elevate him to the one honour he has yet to achieve in his career – being ranked the top ODI bowler in the world. He has occupied the top Test spot for significant periods of time since first achieving it in April 2008; he is 17 wickets away from 400 Test wickets and 39 adrift of leapfrogging Shaun Pollock to become South Africa’s leading wicket-taker. Whether he is eyeing any of that is unclear. “I don’t know what the next three or four years hold; what will happen with us or my career but it’s been a great 10 years” Steyn said. “I’ve loved every minute of it and am looking forward to what lies ahead. It’s not over yet, its sort of three-quarters of the way.”De Villiers echoed the sentiment that there is more to come. Unlike Steyn, he has occupied top spot on both the Test and ODI rankings in his discipline but de Villiers is further away than Steyn from becoming the flagbearer. De Villiers has 7296 Test runs, 5910 behind Jacques Kallis and 1957 fewer than Graeme Smith. He is also third on the ODI charts, where his 7090 runs have left him 1004 runs behind Herschelle Gibbs and 4460 less than Kallis’.While the numbers are evidence of the successful service the two have given South Africa over the last decade, for them, creating records seems secondary to leaving a legacy. Steyn explained that the culture they have built in the squad is more important than anything else and is what will ensure future generations of players can achieve something similar if not more than he and de Villiers have.”Having guys like AB, Hashim Amla, Vernon Philander, Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and Graeme Smith – guys who are at the top of their game in your squad – if you spend enough time with these guys, you will take these your game to the next level,” Steyn said. “It’s awesome to have someone like AB in the team and I’m sure that he feeds off other guys as we do off him. It’s such a great team to be a part of because everyone seems to build everyone and the next guy who steps into this team, whether its Kagiso Rabada or Temba Bavuma will become a world-class player within three or four years, because of the kind of players we have now.”
