Western Province Cricket Club head coach Rasheed Lewis has opened the door for Proteas fast bowler Dale Steyn to make another rare appearance in the Western Province Cricket Association premier league.
Steyn played for Western Province Cricket Club in the 2015-16 season, amid recovery from groin and shoulder injuries. He took five key wickets in that fixture, as the hosts sealed a convincing victory over St Augustine Cricket Club at the Vineyard Oval in Claremont, Cape Town.
“We will gladly have Dale on board again. The boys will be delighted to play with him, as he added so much value to the squad and club as a whole,” Lewis told Club Cricket SA.
Lewis’ comments come amid Steyn’s ongoing recovery from a fractured right shoulder, sustained in November 2016.
The 34-year-old was due to return to first-class cricket for the Titans, against the Dolphins, this month. He has, however, withdrawn from contention – and will instead seek game time at club level.
“Some shorter cricket might be the better answer for a reintroduction. As there’s nothing like that domestically right now, I might just play some club stuff in Pretoria or Cape Town. It doesn’t really matter to me at what level it is – I just need some cricket,” said Steyn.
“Right now, I’m bowling fine, but I haven’t hit the full workload I’d need to handle four-day cricket. I don’t want to put myself or the team in a position where I pull up again.”
Western Province Cricket Club’s 2017-18 season will commence on 7 and 8 October, with three Ama20 Competition matches against the University of the Western Cape Cricket Club, Cape Town Cricket Club and Milnerton Cricket Club.
Proteas seamers Beuran Hendricks and Wayne Parnell represented Bellville Cricket Club and Montrose Cricket Club, respectively, during the 201617 WPCA season – and Tygerberg Cricket Club cherished the services of Test all-rounder Vernon Philander.