South Africa fast bowler Anrich Nortje recently made his debut in the ongoing Abu Dhabi T10 League. Representing Morrisville Samp Army, Nortje featured in his side’s opening game against Bengal Tigers at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Ahead of the match, Nortje, in an interview with CricketCountry, revealed his favourite cricketer. The fast bowler was asked to pick between Indian superstar Virat Kohli and Pakistan captain Babar Azam. However, Nortje went with Proteas legend Dale Steyn as his favourite player. He did mention that both Kohli and Babar are great players.
“To me, Dale Steyn. In terms of Virat Kohli or Babar Azam – both are great players,” said Nortje.
Notably, Steyn was known for his extreme pace and outstanding control over the cricket ball. His aggressive mindset and skill to swing the ball both ways made him an unplayable bowler, irrespective of the format. In his glorious career, Steyn, who puzzled most legendary batters, bagged 439 Test wickets, 196 ODI scalps and 64 wickets in the shortest format.
Coming back to Nortje, the speedster also shared his take on the approach while playing the shortest format of the game. Nortje reckoned the basics always remain the same and said he likes the fact that in a 10-over contest, the bowler is always under pressure.
“The basics stay the same, I think. Just sum up the conditions and try and use the conditions in your favour and see what you can get from the wicket on the day. So it is just 10 overs, and nice to be under pressure most of the time,” added the Proteas pacer.
Nortje has so far appeared in 29 T20I matches, in which he has taken 35 wickets, with 4/10 being his best figures. The 29-year-old has also picked 57 wickets in 15 Tests and 28 scalps in 17 ODIs.
