Kane Williamson since his debut has been one of the brightest batsmen the world has witnessed. However, when asked in a recent interview about the most lethal bowler he’s ever faced, the Kiwi skipper wasted no time and had only one name. The Steyn gun. Everyone who is regular in terms of watching cricket knows how Dale Steyn ruled as the world’s top-most pacer for a long time.
The ‘prime’ Steyn was ruthless, swift as a bullet and never hesitated to bowl in areas that can cause severe trouble or trauma to the batsmen. Dale Steyn and aggression have always gone hand-in-hand and his major part of the career is a proof of it. The South African legend may have slowed down and lost his charm but no one can forget how facing him was most batsmen’s biggest fears during his early days.
Kane Williamson was one such batsman who despite being hailed as one of the best experienced Steyn’s venom from very close quarters. In 2012, Williamson played Dale Steyn in a home test game at the Basin Reserve. A delivery very rapid had hit him right in the abdomen, so hard that it cracked his abdomen guard and even thee guard couldn’t save Williamson from the anguish that Steyn’s thunderbolt caused him.
The right-arm pacer bowled one around the middle stump before the ball nicked back in and Williamson failed to put his bat in front of it while being on the back foot and was consequently struck low. The moment the ball hit the Kiwi, the New Zealand batsman broke down in pain and while Kane tried to get back up from it, Dale Steyn told him: “I’m not going to apologize for that,” a line that is still stuck in Kane’s brain.
Not to forget Kane Williamson went on to score a fabulous ton and saved the game for the Kiwis, who were chasing a massive total of 389, while the Kiwis struggled at 83 for five wickets down, courtesy of an unbeaten 102 from Kane Williamson.
Cover Credits: Wisden
