The world No. 39 is a great driver of the ball

Before the series started Australia had identified AB de Villiers as the man to keep in check but with news that he will be sidelined for the next two months, they have had to turn their attention elsewhere. Now, they have earmarked Dale Steyn as the South African who will pose the biggest threat especially as they know he was recently wounded in the ODI format.Hes a class bowler and has been for a long time, Steven Smith, Australias captain, said. I watched the Test series against New Zealand, where he was almost back to his best. I think hes been left out of their one-day side for a while, so hes probably out to prove a point.Officially, Steyn was rested from the triangular series, which also featured Australia, in the Caribbean in June. But he was allowed to play in Englands Natwest T20 Blast so, unofficially, he was left out. Steyn admitted as much during the New Zealand Tests in August. I cant even make the one-day team now, Steyn said, after he had surged back with eight wickets in the Centurion Test.That was Steyns first completed Test in more than 18 months, after he was forced out of six of South Africas eight matches in the 2015-16 season with injuries that he picked up in the other two. But last month Steyn showed signs of old when he bowled at good pace and swung the ball to finish as the series leading wicket-taker. Now, at the same venue, Steyn will make his comeback to the 50-over team and stand-in captain Faf du Plessis is certain he will want to do just as well.Dales personality sometimes is a bit cranky, thats why you see that fire when he gets a wicket and thats why we love him like that, du Plessis said. I think when he came back, felt like he needed to prove a point. He is the No. 1 bowler in the world. If you dont produce the goods regularly, people are going to ask questions and that comes with its own pressures. Now he is back in the one-day team and he will try and make a huge impact and try and show everyone that one-day cricket is still a big part of his future.Steyn has said winning an ICC trophy remains a goal of his and, with the Champions Trophy nine months away, it is within reach. He is expected to play in several ODIs before that - after this series South Africa host Sri Lanka and then go to New Zealand - and du Plessis hopes the mere prospect of Steyn will work to South Africas advantage. The fear that he puts into opposition, just the name itself - you only have a few guys around the world who can do that, du Plessis said. His skill and experience is something you cant get overnight. If Dale is fit and 100% and wants to bowl quick, he is an extremely big asset.Perhaps more worryingly for the opposition is that the make-up of South Africas team, which will now include at least two allrounders, means Steyn can be deployed slightly differently. Instead of merely seeing off Steyns opening spell, they may have to contend with him for longer up front because South Africa have several other bowling options to use mid-innings and at the death.If Dale is bowling well, he can bowl six or seven up front to try and strike whereas in the past, if any one of your opening two bowlers had to bowl more than four overs you are taking those overs out of at the end of the game, du Plessis said.Kagiso Rabada has emerged as one of the candidates who can operate at the end of the innings while Andile Phehlukwayo, who debuted against Ireland, is another. Kyle Abbott is a third. Then South Africa have Wayne Parnell and Dwaine Pretorius to operate in the middle period along with the spinner and JP Duminy, taking the number of bowlers in their team to seven.It is a balance du Plessis wants applied in the long term, especially as the allrounders develop. Once you have a six and a seventh bowler in the team, its great for a captain. Weve got Wayne, Andile and Dwaine. Between the three of them, at least two can put their hands up and really become good one-day cricketers for South Africa, he said. Weve been lacking that and so always when we were picking a team, the side was unbalanced. We were either one batsman short or one bowler short. I am hoping two of them will step up in this series.Du Plessis aims for whoever makes the allrounder spot their own is that they will contribute as much with the bat as with the ball, especially because South Africa are also looking to combat another problem: slow scoring rates in the middle overs. The 25-40 over period is where South Africa have sometimes let the game drift but with power-hitting allrounders, du Plessis hopes that will change.Most of the time, weve only had six batsmen and that makes you a little hesitant when you come to those overs, he said. You cant lose wickets because your tail starts at seven or eight and goes down to eleven, so you have to sit a little bit in those periods. With us having a longer batting line-up now it allows us to push a bit harder. Air Max 270 Sale . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. Nike Air Presto Sale . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/nmd-sale/ . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. 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CHASKA, Minn. -- Thomas Pieters has a lot to live up to on his debut at the Ryder Cup for Europe at Hazeltine National.Not only is he the one -- out of six rookies -- on the teams roster who has been repeatedly tipped to make a big impact, hes also expected to observe a national tradition.If it works out well, he still has to fulfill my legacy by being the last person standing at the bar, which is quite important in Belgium, said former Ryder Cup player Nicolas Colsaerts. Were proud of being pretty good partyers.Belgium is also proud of Colsaerts one appearance in the biennial contest with Team USA, which also happened to be the first by a Belgian.His debut four years ago at Medinah has been described as one of the best in the competitions history, making eight birdies and an eagle to prevent Europe from being shutout in the Friday afternoon four-balls competition.If following that as the next Belgian was not enough for Pieters, he also has to deal with the doubts that have been raised about Darren Clarkes team being half-filled with rookies.Danny Willett may be a Masters champion but Pieters, Chris Wood, Andy Sullivan, Matthew Fitzpatrick and?Rafael Cabrera Bello?have not reached such heights.If there was such a thing as an average world ranking for a group, the five after Willett would all be at No. 52, and there is no one saying Team USA doesnt look strong.The minute you have that many rookies on your team there are going to be question marks, said Mark James, the former European Ryder Cup player and captain and ESPN columnist.There is no baggage, and you are more likely to get five rounds out of them because they are generally younger, but they dont know what to expect. And if the crowd is at all hostile, it is going to make them feel that much worse.The fans, the atmosphere and the responsibility of fighting for a team rather than yourself seem to be the key things working against rookie success at the Ryder Cup.The competition is just so different to those played on the European or PGA Tours, and countless players have described it as a test of a players mettle.You have to be mentally strong, Colsaerts told ESPN. In America, the banter is not the same, its much more direct abuse than you get in Europe, where its a bit more subtle and more of a football atmosphere, with more singing and that sort of thing.You have to know youre going to hear stupid stuff coming out from the crowd, and you have to be strong, to make sure the only thing you really worry about is what is happening on the course and what you need to do to perform at your best and bring back points.Its become a much bigger gig in the last few years, too, with all the press work you have to do, running around fulfilling requests. And when the show starts on Friday, its pretty intense.So full-on is the buildup, that it has the potential to make or break players before they even start. Americas rookies, Brooks Koepka and Ryan Moore, particularly, have had the outpouring of emotion after Arnold Palmers death to deal with in this edition, for example. And there always seems to be an issue or an incident that has an impact.The attention on the Ryder Cup and the vibe that goes with it is unique. After all, when else would a group of golfers have the backing of a 13th-man campaign -- which the PGA of America launched on Tuesday -- wiith a pledge for fans backing Team USA?Its a very different week -- a lot busier than you imagine -- and you can burn yourself out emotionally with the adrenaline, said Europes Lee Westwood, who will play in his 10th Ryder Cup this week.ddddddddddddEverybody is talking about it a year in advance -- it gets hyped up very early. Its a long time to carry that excitement. By the time Friday comes around, you can have almost worn yourself out.Then, of course, there is the small matter of swinging your club at the ball.I underestimated what it was going to be like, Rory McIlroy recalled on Tuesday. I had been to Ryder Cups before -- played in the Junior Ryder Cup. I thought I knew what it was like.But theres nothing like walking onto that first tee and feeling that rush and soaking in the atmosphere. You think youve played under pressure, but you havent.Colsaerts obviously coped well with his first proper exposure to the Ryder Cup, but even he joked that when you stand there at the start over the ball, You have no idea where its going to go, and thats a little bit frightening. You take a couple of deep breaths, close your eyes and hope for the best.A blind approach was not in the advice the 33-year-old Belgian offered Pieters, 24, in any of their many chats about the game and the Ryder Cup. They have been talking for years, with Colsaerts helping Pieters most when he first started to make his name and in the buildup to Hazeltine.He has passed on pretty much everything useful he can think of, even sending over clips of previous editions so that his Belgian successor has a better idea of what is about to happen.Colsaerts has no doubts that Pieters will handle everything brilliantly, and he isnt the only one. The world No. 39 is a great driver of the ball and good around the greens. Laid back and, apparently, with a good sense of humour, he also has the advantage of having played in the U.S. at the University of Illinois.He ticks a lot of boxes, said Colsaerts, who claimed many of the team have indicated theyd be pleased to be paired with Pieters, who has won three European Tour titles. Hes not afraid to go after it. Hes been playing pretty well and really shown he wants to be a part of the adventure. Thats key in a team environment.Colsaerts has expressed faith in Europes other rookies, too. Clarke has also given them his vote of confidence, and Westwood and others on the team have shown support. They kind of have to though, whatever doubts they may harbour.Wood, one of those rookies under the spotlight, is more passionate about it, and he is a mild-mannered man.We havent got Ryder Cup experience, but we can all play, Wood said. Were not a few duffers who have got into the team. We have all won big events in the last year and know how to play. We have got an unbelievable vice-captain team to help us through our inexperience of the Ryder Cup.There is bound to be a changing of the guard at some point. The Americans went through it a couple of years ago, and they still gave us a good run for our money at Gleneagles.We know we can win the Ryder Cup again. It is just a question of handling the experience, being away, the crowd. The golf side, the rookies will handle just fine. ' ' '