'Nothing better' than Steyn at his best

Cape Town - South African bowling coach Charl Langeveldt is thrilled to have Dale Steyn back to his best. 

The 'Phalaborwa Express' has had a torrid time with injuries, missing most of South Africa's Test series in India and at home to England. 

But now he is back, and he was instrumental in the Proteas' series win over New Zealand last month, taking match figures of 8/99. 

"There is nothing more pleasing to watch than Dale Steyn at his premium best. He has certainly put to bed any rumours about him being at the end of his career," Langeveldt said in the latest edition of Cricket South Africa's online magazine. 

"Let's not forget the stellar contributions from Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada in that Test; the pace trio operated like a well-oiled machine, something that has been missing over the last year.

"The return of Steyn and Philander also highlighted how important experience is at Test level - you can't buy that value and these two have shown why they have been among the top performers in the world over the years."

Attention now turns to a five-match ODI series at home to Australia. Steyn is a part of that squad, which gives the Proteas a boost given that Langeveldt is expecting some high scores on the South African wickets. 

"The one-day game has evolved over the years, making it more important, especially with the ball, to have clear game plans," he said.

"Gone are the days where 250-270 was a competitive score; these days there is almost no boundary to what batsmen can achieve, and it is always the bowlers who feel the effects.

"I personally feel that as an ODI unit we have grown in leaps and bounds."

The first ODI takes place at Centurion on Friday.