Steyn targets Warner and Smith’s heads
South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn says he will be aiming to remove any Australia batsman, but is particularly eager to dismiss David Warner and Steve Smith.
He called them the ‘head of the snake’ in that once they were removed, the rest of the order would follow in the upcoming Test series.
Steyn has happy memories of playing in Perth, the venue for the first Test, and told the media on the weekend that he was keen to cause chaos.
Steyn said: “I want to make life difficult for everyone. I think the captain is the main guy.
“The biggest guys that are going to score runs for them are probably Dave (Warner) and Steve (Smith).
“So if you can cut off the head of the snake, the rest of the body tends to fall. We’ve done that in the past.
“We’ve tried to attack the captain because he is the leader and cause a bit of chaos there, and sometimes it does affect the rest of the guys.”
He elaborated, via a nautical metaphor, on his desire to take Smith’s wicket: “I think the Aussie captain, they lead the attack.
“From my history of looking at Australian cricket you look at guys that are great players like Steve Waugh.
“He stands out, I don’t think many people can name a team underneath him but you remember Steve Waugh.
“You can remember Ricky Ponting, and Michael Clarke and then Steve Smith falls into that bracket.
“The moment you can get hold of your captain the rest of the players, in my opinion, rely heavily on him.
“He leads the ship so when you pull the plug on that kind of ship and he’s holding it you can sink it.
“It’s not very easy but there’s a way to sink it.”
Latest
-
NewsLiam Livingstone has staked a claim for Twenty20 World Cup – Paul Collingwood
Livingstone hit England’s fastest-ever century, blitzing nine sixes as he reached 103 in just 42 balls.
-
NewsLiam Livingstone credits punishing ton in England T20 to 10 days of isolation
His punishing 103 was not enough to power England to their biggest-ever chase.
-
NewsJames Vince hits 63 and 102 on the same night as Hampshire double up in Blast
Hampshire recorded wins over both Essex and Sussex.
-
NewsLiam Livingstone century in vain as Pakistan beat England in high-scoring opener
Livingstone scored 103 but England ended up losing by 31 runs
-
NewsBabar Azam leads the way in Pakistan’s record Twenty20 score against England
Babar followed up a century in the final ODI with 85 in 49 balls on a flat Trent Bridge pitch, sharing an opening stand of 150 with Mohammad Rizwan.
-
NewsAffray case against Nottinghamshire batsman Joe Clarke dropped
The 25-year-old was charged following an incident in Powys last year
-
NewsECB confident The Hundred will not be blighted by Covid-19 issues
The competition starts next week.
-
NewsEngland captain Eoin Morgan open to experimenting with one eye on World Cup
The bulk of the squad that will contest the tournament in the United Arab Emirates in October is already inked in.
-
NewsRishabh Pant tests positive for Covid-19 ahead of England series – reports
India’s wicketkeeper is reportedly isolating.
-
NewsYoungsters shine in tense series – 5 things from England’s victory over India
England’s superiority on home soil ultimately saw them over the line.