Pity everything is blocked, says Steyn amid coronavirus outbreak
What's the story
South African speedster Dale Steyn has gone on to lament the near complete absence of sport in his nation. All sport has either been suspended or postponed in wake of the coronavirus pandemic that has gripped the world by claiming close to 9,000 lives. Steyn said it's a pity to see everything being blocked off. Here's more.
Views
'Sport brings everybody together in South Africa'
Steyn feels sport is one thing that brings everyone together in South Africa. "It is actually such a pity that everything is being blocked off, because in a country like South Africa, where we have all of our problems from the past - culture, religion, ethnic backgrounds - the one thing that brings everybody together is sport," Steyn told ESPNcricinfo.
Absence of sport
Steyn elaborates further on the absence of sport
Steyn further elaborated on why not having sport is a big miss. "It doesn't matter what religion you are or what color your skin is, you can go to a game on a Saturday and you can all be supporting the same cricket team or rugby team and you all get along really well. But now at the moment, you don't have that."
Unity
Steyn highlights the unity sport brings
Steyn also highlighted what people look forward to. "In South Africa we kind of like [are] looking for things that unite people in big, big groups. When you don't have sport, it's like, "Oh, what do we fall back on to?" And I think Nelson Mandela was the first person to really say that sport unites people in a way that nothing else does."
PSL
Steyn represented Islamabad United in the PSL
Steyn was recently seen in the Pakistan Super League and represented Islamabad United. He featured in four matches for Islamabad before leaving Pakistan in wake of the deadly virus. The veteran fast bowler is scheduled to play for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) next month. The start of the IPL was recently postponed from March 29 to April 15.