T20’s easy on the body but taxing on the mind – Dale Steyn
Mar 17, 2016 at 12:15 AM
Ahead of South Africa’s opening clash in the ICC World T20 2016 against England in Mumbai, Proteas pacer Dale Steyn admitted that T20’s were mentally difficult to cope up with. Steyn, in his interaction with the media said that T20’s do not adversely affect the body, but have a great bearing upon the mind.
“The T20 game can be quite mentally hard. Being a bowler, you’ve only got four overs. If you find the edge, it can go for four and it’s not your fault. In Test matches you’ve got five days to make up for it,” Steyn said. “T20 is slightly easier on the body but it might be more taxing on the mind.”
“We talk about it in our bowling meetings and our team meetings: It’s the next ball that matters,” Steyn said. “You can go for 80 runs in 3.5 overs, but when a team needs four runs to win off the last ball, and you’ve got that ball in your hand, that’s all that matters,” said Steyn, specifying about the ideal philosophy in T20’s.
Steyn also praised pace sensation Kagiso Rabada and backed him to do well. “He is fantastic. He is really quick, but he is also unpredictable. I don’t think many teams have played against him yet, so it’s not like they can plan for him. He is surprising for us too,” Steyn said. “I will be standing down there at fine leg thinking he is going to bowl a gun bouncer and he comes up with a beautiful yorker. He has got a gut feel for himself and that’s his biggest strength right now. People don’t know what he is going to deliver.”