Fast bowler Dale Steyn was overcome with emotion when he received the Mutual and Federal South African Cricketer of the Year award on Tuesday night.
”I feel so honoured,” he said. ”I had always hoped to win this one day, but I never expected it so soon.”
It was the Dale Steyn show at the awards dinner, with the Phalaborwa Express going one better than a hat-trick — he walked off with four of the most-coveted awards.
In addition to the Cricketer of the Year, he was also named the Castle Test Cricketer of the Year, the Supersport Fans’ Cricketer of the Year and the much-sought after Players’ Player of the Year.
The awards cap an extraordinary season in which he took 78 wickets in 12 Tests, including back-to-back 10-wicket hauls, as well and six five-wicket hauls. He is currently ranked number two in the world, behind Sri Lanka’s spin wizard, Muttiah Muralitharan, and briefly became the number-one-ranked player after his success in the second Test in India. What makes Steyn’s achievements even more remarkable is that only five of the 12 Tests were played at home.
Asked what had helped him to achieve these heights, Steyn said he thought he had matured, both as a person and as a player.
”I want to go on maturing, and getting better and better,” he said. ”I just love taking wickets. After I got the taste of my first ‘ten-for’, I thought I really want more of that.”
Steyn said he was feeling refreshed and relaxed after his return from playing for the Bangalore Royal Challengers in the Indian Premier League, and was looking forward to the tour of England starting later this month.
”I’ve had time to put my feet up and rest my toes, and I am excited about going to England. And then it’s the Champions Trophy, Bangladesh at home, and finally, the big cookie — Australia.
”Awards are great but the most important thing is playing as a team and winning,” he said.
He did not anticipate any problems with the Duke ball that is used in England in preference to the Kookaburra used in South Africa and Australia.
”I’ve played quite a lot of county cricket, so I’m used to the conditions and I quite like the Duke,” he said. ”It can start reverse swinging quite early. I think I bowl quite a lot like Jimmy Anderson, and look what he’s been doing. I can’t wait.
Steyn had not seen Kevin Pietersen’s new ”switch-hit” stroke, which he used to good effect against New Zealand in the first one-day international. But when the stroke was explained to him, he just snorted.
”Good luck to him if he tries that against Morne Morkel,” he said. — Sapa