Following on the heels of his countryman, AB de Villiers, the recently retired South African pacer, Dale Steyn, signed with Melbourne Stars to make his maiden appearance in the Big Bash League (BBL) this December.
As of now, he will feature in the first six games for the Stars. If the 36-year-old is not selected by his country for South Africa’s home series against England in February 2020, he has the choice to play more matches for his new franchisee. Although Steyn retired from Test Cricket, he has made known his willingness to play ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals.
As things stand now, Steyn is slated to return home on January 4 – a month ahead of the series with England. If he doesn’t make the cut in either of the short formats of the games against the visitors for the Proteas, the once fastest Test pacer in the world could return to Melbourne and play with the Stars.
Steyn was quoted by Cricbuzz as saying that his priority would be to represent his country. In case that does not happen, he would still want to play cricket, and would, therefore, could play for the Stars. He is, however, keeping his fingers crossed on the decision of the South African selectors.
Owing to his shoulder injury caused during the 2019 One-Day World Cup, Steyn did not play any international cricket matches since March 2019.
Being a nationally contracted player, an NOC from Cricket South Africa would have been necessary for Steyn. But he no longer needs it, following his decision to hang boots in Test cricket.
He hoped that he was still in the reckoning for the T20 World Cup, as winning a World Cup with his country would be a feather in his cap. Steyn expects to gain more experience in Australian conditions as it would benefit him.
