Steyn's story included the world record partnership in Tests between Sangakkara and Jayawardena.
Steyn and Lara are now on the same page as the bowling and head coach respectively of the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise in the ongoing IPL 2023.
Recently, the cricket fraternity celebrated Lara's 19th anniversary of the day he slammed the highest Test score of 400 not out against England in 2004, in Antigua. However, Dale Steyn revealed how South Africa saved Lara’s record when Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara were rampaging in a Test against them in Sri Lanka.
Speaking on the franchise's YouTube channel, Steyn revealed that Lara, who is also SRH head coach, was nostalgic about his knock in the team bus. To this, the Proteas legend simply replied, "I literally just looked at him and said, 'You're welcome. You still have your record due to South Africa.”
Steyn then recalled how when South Africa played Sri Lanka in a Test in 2006 at Colombo SSC ground, Jayawardena and Sangakkara added a world record 624-run stand for the third wicket, keeping the Proteas on the field for over two days.
"This is where the story starts to kick in. Mahela (Jayawardene) and (Kumar) Sangakkara are batting together, Sangakkara is on strike. He cuts one straight to Jacques Rudolph at point, he drops the catch and it lands on the floor. The very next ball I run in, I’m an angered young man…Sanga drags the ball onto the stumps. Umpire puts his hand out and its a no ball", Steyn said.
"We never sniffed a wicket in that entire time. At Tea on day three, we'd been fielding for two and a half days in the sun. Ashwell (Prince, who was captain on the tour) and the South Africans all get together and our team talk was not about how we're gonna draw or win this game. Mahela was on 370 somewhere and we just said, 'We need to do anything possible to make sure he didn't break Brian Lara’s record.
Jayawardena fell for 374 and Sangakkara made 287 as Sri Lanka posted 756/5d and went onto win the Test by an innings and 153 runs. Dale Steyn took 3/129 in 26 overs for South Africa.
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