Cricket South Africa offer clarification on Dale Steyn’s exclusion
The 36-year-old Steyn, who has announced his retirement from Test cricket, took to Twitter on Tuesday to reveal that he had made himself available for the T20I series slated to be held in India next month.
Cricket South Africa have released a statement in which they have mentioned that veteran fast bowler Dale Steyn was not medically cleared and hence, was not named in the T20I squad to face India.
The 36-year-old Steyn, who has announced his retirement from Test cricket, took to Twitter on Tuesday to reveal that he had made himself available for the T20I series slated to be held in India next month.
“He is not yet medically ready and our information makes that very clear,” Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) acting director of cricket Corrie van Zyl.
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Earlier in the day, the fast-bowler had hit out at the selectors for not considering him for the tour even though he had made himself available for the tour.
Van Zyl also informed that both Vernon Philander (hamstring) and Theunis de Bruyn (back) were on course to recover fully before the start of the three-Test series against India in October.
“Both are on track, but they will have to play one match before the tour to prove that they are fully fit,” Van Zyl said.
Dale Steyn had earlier announced his retirement from Test cricket in order to extend his career in the other formats of the game.
In his retirement statement, the fast bowler spoke highly of Test cricket, confessing how he found it to be the “best version of the game”.
“Today I walk away from a format of the game I love so much. In my opinion Test cricket is the best version of this game,” Steyn said.
“It tests you mentally, physically, emotionally. It’s terrible to consider never playing another Test again but what’s more terrifying is the thought of never playing again at all. So I will be focusing on ODIs and T20s for the rest of my career to maximise my full potential and ensure my longevity in this sport. I’d like to thank everyone in cricket, no one specific, because everyone has been a part of my journey. And I look forward to continuing to play for the Proteas in the shorter formats,” he further added.
