Glamorgan’s chief executive Hugh Morris believes capturing Dale Steyn is among one of the finest high-profile signing the Welsh county have ever made.
Glamorgan have attracted top-class overseas stars in the past including Viv Richards, Waqar Younis, Jacques Kallis, Sourav Ganguly, Darren Sammy and Shaun Tait.
The South African star, Dale Steyn, is now added to that illustrious list when he links up for the first half of this summer’s NatWest T20 Blast once his Indian Premier League (IPL) commitments with the Gujurat Lions ends.
Morris believes the former number 1 Test bowler Steyn can bring a positive impact on the dressing room and team.
“I was lucky to have played with the likes of Viv Richards and Waqar Younis and I know the impact those guys had on our dressing room – I think Dale’s signing ranks right up there and I have no doubt Dale will do the same.
”We have no doubt that this signing will lift the dressing room and the crowd and provide a lot of excitement around our NatWest T20 Blast competition”
Steyn has taken 178 T20 wickets at 23.22, including 58 at a superb average of 17.39 in 42 games for his country. He has also played 82 tests and 112 one-day internationals, taking 406 test wickets and claiming 639 wickets across all internationals.
“He has been one of the premier fast bowlers in the world for more than a decade and one of the best cricketers of his generation.”
Glamorgan’s T20 season starts next Thursday against Surrey at the Kia Oval with the Welsh county having made a poor start to their championship campaign with three defeats and two draws in their opening five matches.
“Dale is only playing T20 for us but having someone like that around, particularly for the younger players, it will be a high lift for everyone and he is coming here at the right time. We are definitely looking for his impact to have a knock-on effect for all formats of the game,” added Morris.
Steyn’s arrival date is still unknown due to his commitments in the IPL however Glamorgan are hopeful he will feature in the first seven matches but there is concern that he could miss the opening two.
“He is contracted to the Gujarat Lions in the IPL and as soon as his commitment to that has finished, he will be available and joining up with us”
If the Lions make the IPL final on Sunday 29th May, then Steyn will miss Glamorgan’s opening fixture against Surrey at the Kia Oval on Thursday 26th May and therefore face a race against time to take his place in the first home match against Essex on Wednesday 1st June. The Lion’s are currently in second place in the IPL table and finish their group campaign on Saturday, with three knockout matches being held between 24th May and 27th May before the final.
As well as this, South African officials had reportedly been concerned about Steyn’s workload and it was decided he would miss the Tri-Series against Australia and the West Indies in June. The Proteas take on New Zealand in a two-Test series in August, before which Steyn is also due to play in the Caribbean Premier League with the Jamaica Tallawahs.
“It’s always a fine balance and South Africa have some international cricket in August. Dale has not bowled much in the IPL and it’s a chance to bowl in a controlled environment in a high quality competition and keep ticking over. We have discussed that with Cricket South Africa and they are happy to work on that basis.”
Steyn has also been under-used in India having played only one game against the Sunrisers on 21st April however Morris is not apprehensive about his form for when he arrives at Glamorgan
“I’m not concerned about him being under cooked when he arrives because I know how often those guys train and bowl.
While he has not played a lot at the moment, he knows what it takes to hit the ground running due to being an international class bowler for a long period of time.”
Steyn will link up with fellow South African’s Jacques Rudolph and Colin Ingram, who is expected to be fit for the T20 campaign after missing the start of the season with a knee injury and Morris stated that Steyn is “very excited about coming to Cardiff and will be ready to go.”
Seven-match NatWest T20 Blast season tickets are now on-sale for £60 with kids for a quid and adults for £10 offers in place for the home games against Essex on Wednesday 1 June and Hampshire on Friday 3 June respectively.
Audio: Hugh Morris speaks to the media to express his delight at the capture of Dale Steyn