Fast bowler Dale Steyn is looking forward to playing for the Proteas for the first time in almost a year during this month’s T20I series against England.

Steyn hasn’t played international cricket since March 2019. In the interim, he has played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, Cape Town Blitz in the Mzansi Super League and Melbourne Stars in Australia’s Big Bash League.

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‘I think I’ve played most of my cricket in my life for South Africa, so it’s always good to come back into this dressing room,’ said Steyn.

‘I’m excited about it. This game is hard. There are a lot of exciting things just over the horizon for me after cricket. I love playing cricket and I wake up every day and I can’t see myself doing anything else right now.’

He retired from Test cricket last year, but remained available for ODI and T20I selection. He was not picked for the recent ODIs against England, but will be involved in the three-match T20I series.

‘I think in Test cricket the workload was just too much more than what I wanted to handle, whereas ODI and T20 cricket is so much easier,’ added Steyn.

‘It was just about being smart about it. I want to extend my career for as long as I can and I think if you play Test cricket and you bowl 20 overs in a day, that I could play five T20s instead. It was a smarter decision and probably the right time.’

Whether the 36-year-old Steyn’s international career extends beyond the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year remains in the balance.

‘Maybe this one would be a nice one to go and finish on and reassess after the end of this year. Then I can figure out what I want to do,’ said Steyn.