Steyn fit and ready for UAE challenge

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South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn says he is ready to take to the field again, after recovering from no less than five injuries, ranging from niggles to more serious, over the past two months.

South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn says he is ready to take to the field again, after recovering from no less than five injuries, ranging from niggles to more serious, over the past two months.

Steyn says he is back in training, and has been for the past month, after spending four weeks relaxing all over the world while recuperating from his bumps and bruises, including a side strain.

But he is determined to be at maximum fitness for the tour to the United Arab Emirates in October, where the Proteas will play in all formats against Pakistan, including two Tests, which are his forte.

The Phalaborwa Express said: "After the Champions Trophy in England (in June), people will remember I didn't play a lot of cricket there.

"I ended up with about five injuries walking away from that tournament. I didn't play a lot of cricket in the tournament either. I had a side strain, a groin injury, glute and neck pain and a bit of an ankle problem.

"The doctors said I had to be off my feet for the next four weeks. I had four weeks where I did absolutely nothing where I did no running or gyming.

"I've had four weeks where I've been training really hard. I've [got] back to gym, running and bowling. Two sessions a day for an hour and a half in the morning, then back again in the afternoon.

"I haven't been going to bed so early since I was in primary school, so it shows that I've been working quite hard."

The number one Test bowler is looking forward to the challenge of playing of slower wickets than he's used to, saying the point of cricket as a sport is to test yourself in difficult conditions.

Steyn said of the hot, dry venues: "You always want to play on wickets that are green and moving around. You don't always get those opportunities, that's why we play cricket.

"We get to play in some of the more difficult places in the world. If you just played at home, you could be a fantastic bowler with great skills on easy wickets to bowl on.

"It's nice to go and test your skills somewhere where those skills are rarely tested. There's not a lot of movement through the air, not a lot off the deck so that's nice. It can be frustrating at times, but that's why we play these games."

Before the trip to the UAE, Steyn will first be playing in the Champions League Twenty20 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, and he is looking forward to the competition and getting his match-face back to perfection.

He added: "There's nothing better than game time, playing a 20/20 game you're still out in the field on your feet. You're still bowling your overs at high intensity. There's nothing better than getting a bit of game time."

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