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Steyn smashed, but unscathed in comeback match

Cape Town - Proteas speedster Dale Steyn did not have the best day at the office on his comeback to cricket on Wednesday night.

Steyn is in England where he has just started a month-long stint with Hampshire, and he played his first game for the County in a Royal London One Day Cup match. 

With Hampshire defending 356 against Somerset, Steyn found the going tough on his return as he left with figures of 1/80 from his 10 overs. 

Somerset pulled off an unlikely win in the final over of the match. 

The 34-year-old Steyn was playing his first match since recovering from the heel injury he picked up in January on Test duty against India. 

That injury had followed a spell of more than a year on the sidelines with a fractured shoulder, and this is Steyn's latest and probably final attempt at a comeback. 

He has spoken about his desire to be a part of the South African squad that tours Sri Lanka next month, while he needs just four more wickets to equal Shaun Pollock's record of 421 Test scalps - the most by any South African in the format. 

On Wednesday, Steyn was hit for 18 runs in his second over but would finally have some joy when he had Roelof van der Merwe out in his final over of the day. 

Steyn also had two catches dropped off his bowling. 

The numbers might not make for good reading, but the most important thing for Steyn and the Proteas is that he got through his first match back unscathed. 

He is expected to make his return to first-class cricket this weekend when Hampshire host Surrey in a four-day clash from Saturday. 

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