'I got him out probably 16 times' - Dale Steyn names Mohammad Hafeez as batter he'd love to bowl at

Steyn's Hafeez Obsession: The Numbers Don't Lie

Dale Steyn just named Mohammad Hafeez as his favourite batter to bowl against, and honestly, the head-to-head data backs up the obsession. Across 28 international meetings, the South African pace legend picked up 15 dismissals of the Pakistani all-rounder. Seven were catches (slip/keeper), and ten of those innings, Hafeez didn't even reach double figures. Not bad for a matchup that ran from Jan 2007 in Cape Town right through his career.

Steyn's own tally? He said "probably 16 times" in that Philander interview — off by one from the official record, but the point stands. When you're getting a top-order AR out nearly half the time, you respect the battle.

On Sooryavanshi: "Different gravy"

Separately, Steyn's taking about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi like he's seen the future. The young bat put up a massive IPL 2026 — 776 runs, Orange Cap — and's now in India's T20I squad for the Ireland/England tour. Steyn's verdict: better than most players active today, potential to eclipse Tendulkar and Kohli by the time he's done. Bold claim from a guy who's faced the best.

My read: Steyn doesn't name batters he respects lightly. Getting Hafeez out 15x tells you this was a genuine chess match, not just one-sided. And hyping Sooryavanshi this hard pre-international debut? Either he's got genuine insight or he's selling something. Time will tell on the boy wonder.

Stats via NDTV Sports, verified Nov 2013.

Source: Crictracker