Dale Steyn ‘apologises’ to Virat Kohli after T20I snub, takes a jibe at selectors

Dale Steyn, who recently announced his retirement from Test cricket, did not find a spot in South Africa’s T20I squad which is slated to tour India. The fast-bowler took a dig at selectors for giving him a snub from the shortest format of the game. Apparently, Steyn called it quits from Test cricket in order to boost his career in the limited formats of the game.

The fact that the selectors did not even give a reason behind the snub irked Steyn who later made it clear that he had made himself available for selection.

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“I did... Obviously lost my number in the reshuffling of coaching staff,” Steyn tweeted.

The fast bowler also apologised to Indian skipper Virat Kohli after the snub and tweeted, “Apologies to Virat and a billion people for thinking they not”.

Steyn has represented South Africa in 44 T20Is, picking up 61 wickets at an average of 17.50. He has been quite frugal all the while and has only given away runs at an economy rate of 6.79.

In his retirement statement, the fast bowler spoke highly of Test cricket, confessing how he found it to be the “best version of the game”.

“Today I walk away from a format of the game I love so much. In my opinion Test cricket is the best version of this game,” Steyn said. “It tests you mentally, physically, emotionally. It’s terrible to consider never playing another Test again but what’s more terrifying is the thought of never playing again at all. So I will be focusing on ODIs and T20s for the rest of my career to maximise my full potential and ensure my longevity in this sport. I’d like to thank everyone in cricket, no one specific, because everyone has been a part of my journey. And I look forward to continuing to play for the Proteas in the shorter formats,” he added.