In a big boost for England’s fast bowling prospects, South African legend Dale Steyn is preparing to mentor some of the UK’s most promising young pacers during an intensive training camp in South Africa next month.

Dale Steyn has joined the England Lions as short-term mentors. According to ESPNcricinfo, Dale Steyn will join Andrew Flintoff’s coaching team for his first tour as England Lions head coach. However, the Proteas great will mentor England’s promising fast bowlers in the short term.

Dale Steyn joins England Lions as mentor for South Africa tour

This addition will provide invaluable insights from one of the game’s most iconic fast bowlers, with Steyn bringing his wicket-taking experience from 439 Tests. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has already announced a 19-man training squad for the tour of South Africa, which runs from November 20 to December 14, and will primarily include a high-performance training camp.

The England Lions will take on South Africa A in a four-day match in the Western Province. It will be the Lions’ last game in South Africa. Steyn’s role will focus on guiding the England Lions’ pace battery, which is packed with 10 seamers eager to prove themselves on the international stage.

These include Pat Brown and Josh Hull, who have already represented England, along with Dillon Pennington and John Turner, who were part of the national team but did not make their debut for the team. The remaining six fast bowlers are Zaman Akhtar, Kasey Aldridge, Henry Crocombe, Tom Lawes, Harry Moore and Mitchell Stanley.

Neil McKenzie appointed England Lions batting coach

They will represent the next generation of English cricket and, now that Dale Steyn is at the helm, expectations are sky-high. Neil McKenzie, another South African legend, will support Steyn in this development journey as a batting unit. McKenzie’s experience will be crucial as he fosters talents such as Freddie McCann, Ben McKinney, Hamza Sheikh and others.

McKenzie, who has already worked with Andrew Flintoff in The Hundred this year for the Northern Superchargers, will be crucial in shaping the next generation of England batsmen. Neil McKenzie has enough coaching experience having worked with South Africa, Desert Vipers and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL.

Ed Barney, who recently replaced Mo Bobat as ECB Performance Director, said the Lions’ seamless squad reflected “England’s short and long-term needs” across all three formats of the game. Barney further stated: “Over half the team is made up of seamstresses, reflecting our continued focus on supporting these players to achieve their potential.”

ECB passed over Jacques Kallis for Neil McKenzie and Dale Steyn

Interestingly, legendary South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis was reported to be under consideration for the England Lions’ upcoming camp in South Africa, but the ECB has opted to move forward with Steyn and McKenzie to have a dynamic combination of experience for the youngsters.

The ECB has been harnessing global cricket experience for England’s next generation of talent, with Dinesh Karthik joining the Lions set-up for a visit to India earlier this year, and now the inclusion of McKenzie and Steyn marked another big step towards combining local knowledge with international experience. .