The cricket world was shocked after former Australian cricketer Damien Martyn was reported to be seriously ill and placed in an induced coma. He fell sick on Boxing Day and was admitted to the Gold Coast University Hospital, where he is being treated for meningitis.

Former teammate Adam Gilchrist shared an update on Martyn’s health during a Big Bash League match between Melbourne Renegades and Sydney Sixers. Gilchrist said Martyn is still in the hospital, but added that recent medical tests have shown positive signs over the last 24 hours.

Gilchrist also thanked fans for their support and prayers. He said there has been a lot of love for Martyn, calling him a great player and a wonderful person, and expressed hope that he continues to recover.

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#cricket 🏏 Former Australian Test star Damien Martyn is making progress in his battle against meningitis, with close friend Adam Gilchrist providing an update ▶️ https://t.co/L2z4IYQ2g2 pic.twitter.com/Pw21HjGvkt

— The Daily Telegraph (@dailytelegraph) January 1, 2026

Adam Gilchrist thanked fans and well-wishers on behalf of Damien Martyn and his family for the love and support during this difficult time.

“On behalf of Damien Martyn, a great friend and former teammate, and on behalf of his family and his partner, Amanda, thank you to everyone for the heartfelt love, wishes, and care,” Gilchrist said. He added that Martyn’s family truly appreciated the concern shown by people.

Gilchrist also shared that he had played with Martyn at the under-17 level, as well as for Western Australia and Australia, and described him as a close friend.

Former cricketers send support messages

Several former cricketers wished Martyn a speedy recovery. Former Australia Test player Rodney Hogg said, “We wish him all the best. This is shocking news.”

Former teammate Darren Lehmann shared a message on X, saying, “Lots of love and prayers to Damien Martyn. Stay strong and keep fighting. Love to the family.”

Ex-Western Australia teammate Ryan Campbell also posted his support, saying he was sending love and best wishes to Martyn and his family.

Thoughts and prayers to Damien Martyn and his family. Keep fighting bud!

— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) December 31, 2025

Thoughts and prayers with @damienmartyn for a speedy recovery. You’re a fighter, champ…and all of us are rooting for you. Godspeed 🙌

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) December 31, 2025

Thoughts are with @damienmartyn

Prayers to see him bounce back🙏

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) December 31, 2025

Cricket world prays for Martyn’s recovery

Since the news of Martyn’s serious condition came out, there has been concern across the cricket world and among fans. Former cricketers such as Dale Steyn, Ravichandran Ashwin, Aakash Chopra, VVS Laxman, and Michael Vaughan also wished for the 54-year-old’s quick recovery.

Between the eyes, India’s fourth T20I of the five-match series against South Africa at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium in Lucknow was abandoned due to the dense fog. The umpires delayed the toss for 20 minutes at the first inspection before continuing to push it for 30-45 minutes and finally calling it off at around 9:30 at night.

Robin Uthappa, who was part of the commentary panel for Star Sports, was baffled at the decision of the authorities by questioning what they were thinking of pushing the game back when it would only get worse by every passing hour into the night. 

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“I’m actually not even listening to you because I’m so befuddled by the umpire’s decision right now. How do they think it’s going to get better as the night wears on? It’s not going to get better; it’s only going to get worse. It’s counterintuitive. What are they actually thinking, and what do they think will happen in half an hour that hasn’t happened over the last hour and a half?” Uthappa raised a question.

Robin Uthappa and Dale Steyn seek clarity for called-off IND vs SA 4th T20I

The former South Africa pacer, Dale Steyn, who was also part of the same commentary side, reckoned that they should have grabbed the umpires and asked for clarity of their decision to keep pushing back the inspections.

“It’s quite confusing that they’ve still decided to give it half an hour more. I’ve played first-class games in far worse conditions, with a lot more fog. This is way better than that. I don’t see it getting better.” Uthappa addressed.

“I was going to say I’d love to get one of the umpires. Sometimes they say there’s another inspection at 8:30, but I don’t know all the rules they’re looking at. As a player, you just play the game. It would be informative to know what they’re assessing and thinking. If they walk past again, we should grab them and ask for clarity.” Steyn added.

South Africa’s premier pacer, Kagiso Rabada, is on the verge of scripting history in the upcoming two-Test series against India, which will begin on November 14 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Rabada would come into the clash being the second leading wicket-taker for the Rainbow Nation since the beginning of 2024.

Rabada is currently four more wickets away from the entire list of top five wicket-takers in the India vs South Africa Tests. He is in the eighth position, just behind the former Indian spin all-rounder- Ravichandran Ashwin- and the Protea pacer- Allan Donald, who have 57 wickets each from 14 and 11 Tests respectively. The fifth spot is occupied by India’s current bowling coach, Morne Morkel, who has 58 wickets from 17 Tests.

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Rabada has a good record against the Blue, taking 55 Test wickets in 14 fixtures. The right-arm pacer has a chance to become the top wicket-taker as a fast bowler in the longest format of the two nations. The Eden Gardens surface will produce seam and swing with the new ball.

Kagiso Rabada on verge of overtaking Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn during IND vs SA 1st Test

The former pacer of the South Africa side, Dale Steyn, has collected 65 wickets in 14 games against India, thanks to five five-wicket hauls, which equals Ashwin’s tally, followed by India’s Jagaval Srinath, who has bagged 64 wickets in 13 Tests, featuring two fifers. Among the spinners, Rabada can surpass Harbhajan Singh as well.

The former Indian spinner has 60 wickets in 11 Tests against the Proteas, thanks to four five-wicket hauls. However, the senior pacer won’t be able to break the record of Anil Kumble, who has picked up 84 wickets in 21 Tests against the Proteas. Rabada, however, has just four wickets from two Tests in Pakistan.

As per the reports and words of the Eden Gardens’ curator, Sujan Mukherjee, the pitch is expected to assist the pacers. Also, the reverse swing will come into play at the venue, as there are promising indicators for the South African fast bowler.

The former Indian wicket-keeper batter, Dinesh Karthik, has gone back to the history book to praise Virat Kohli for walking the talk during a vital clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2015 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Karthik recalls the bold planning of Kohli in RCB’s team meeting.

In 11 overs, Hyderabad posted 135/3 with two half-centuries from David Warner and the number three batter, Moises Henriques. In reply during the second innings, Bengaluru needed to get the target of 81 runs in just six overs after the rain reduced the encounter, making batting tougher on a wet surface.

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“There are a lot of people over a period who have won games, but Kohli had this amazing ability. The bigger the game, the more he brought himself to the party. And I've been with him a lot. So there was this game against SRH, RCB versus SRH in 2015. It was a must-win game.” Karthik claimed during a recent interaction with India Today.

Dinesh Karthik leaks Virat Kohli’s bold planning against Dale Steyn of IPL 2015

Kohli remained unbeaten on 44 runs in 19 balls at a strike rate of 231 with the help of three boundaries and as many sixes, while his opening partner, David Warner, smacked 35 runs in 10 balls, thanks to four boundaries and three sixes at a strike rate of 350. RCB chased down the target by six wickets on the penultimate delivery.

“David Warner was their captain, and Virat was RCB's captain. And I remember walking into this team meeting, and we had this batting meeting. They (SRH) had Dale Steyn, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and we used to obviously look at bowlers and say, ‘This is what he's looking to do, how are we going to take him down?’” RCB’s current head coach addressed.

“Kohli said, ‘Don't worry, I'll take him down’. His confidence almost drove him to success. He wanted to take down the best bowler on the opponent's team. That's what he thrived on, and that I really enjoyed watching because in that game, he really took Dale Steyn down. That game I was like, ‘Wow.’ Now, this is a skill that not many people can have.” Dinesh Karthik concluded.

Former Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara shared the names of the four toughest bowlers he faced in his career after announcing his retirement from international cricket.

In a post-retirement interview with Indian media, the 37-year-old named two South African pacers, one from England, and one from Australia. He said Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel from South Africa, James Anderson from England, and Pat Cummins from Australia were the most difficult bowlers for him.

Pujara’s record against South Africa in Tests was not strong. He scored at an average of 30.41 in 17 matches with only one century. His numbers were worse in South Africa, where he averaged just 28.15 in 19 innings.

Also Read -Cheteshwar Pujara vs Sourav Ganguly – Statistical Comparison After 103 Test Matches

Pujara’s Struggles Against Top Bowlers

The numbers show how much Pujara struggled against them. Against Dale Steyn, he averaged only 30, while his average fell further to 18 against Morne Morkel. Together, the South African duo dismissed him six times.

Against James Anderson, Pujara averaged just 21.80 in Tests and was out to the English pacer 12 times. Pat Cummins also troubled him, dismissing him eight times while Pujara averaged 22.50 against him.

Pujara announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket on Sunday. He played 103 Tests and five ODIs after making his debut in 2010. He scored 7,195 Test runs at an average of 43.60, including 19 centuries and 35 fifties. At home, he averaged 52.58 with 3,839 runs. His last Test was the WTC final against Australia at The Oval in June 2023.

He is also one of only three Indian players, alongside ML Jaisimha and Ravi Shastri, to bat on all five days of a Test match. Interestingly, Pujara did not include Jasprit Bumrah among the toughest bowlers, as he faced him only once in IPL 2024 and scored four runs off five balls.

Former Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara picked the four toughest bowlers he faced during his career, via TOI. pic.twitter.com/uR9LB6mk9J

— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) August 25, 2025

Pujara’s Five Best Knocks

Pujara also picked his five favourite Test innings. His first choice was 145* in Sri Lanka in 2015, a comeback innings that helped India win the series 2-1. His second was 123 against Australia in Adelaide in the 2018/19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where India went on to win the series 2-1.

His next two picks were double centuries against England and Australia at home in the 2012/13 season, both in winning causes. His final choice was the fighting 92 against Australia in Bengaluru in 2017, which helped India level the series 1-1.

Pujara ended his career with 7,195 Test runs at an average of 43.60, including 19 centuries, in 103 matches.

It was the eve of the fifth and final Test of five-match series between England and India at the Kennington Oval when the former South Africa fast bowler, Dale Steyn, made a bold prediction of the Indian pacer, Mohammed Siraj, picking up a five-wicket haul in the game, which could have seen them drawing the series by a 2-2 margin. 

Six days later, it has turned to be true as the Indian pacer, who missed out on the landmark in the firs innings with four wickets, ended with a match-winning spell of five-wickets to earn the victory by just six runs as the home side were bundled out for 367 runs in the dramatic fashion on the fifth day of the game.

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‘Siraj to take a fifer in 5th Test.’ Steyn wrote on his X account (formerly known as Twitter). After ending the game with a victory and the player of the match award, Siraj went to social media to thank the veteran pacer, saying, ‘You asked. I delivered. Appreciate coming from you.’

 Mohammed Siraj reacts to Dale Steyn's prophecy of ENG vs IND 5th Test

Mohammed Siraj drew the first blood for the Indian team when he bluffed Zak Crawley with an over-pitched delivery after saving a field placement for the short balls. Also, he got the wicket of Ollie Pope, who got wrapped around the pads in the morning session of the fourth day.

You asked. I delivered.

Really appreciate coming from you ❤️ https://t.co/aUcPV0lUPy

— Mohammed Siraj (@mdsirajofficial) August 4, 2025

But his biggest contribution came on the final day when he found the outside edge of Jamie Smith into the hands of the wicket-keeper batter, Dhurv Jurel. Later, he trapped Jamie Overton on the pads to shoulder them near the finishing line. It was a fitting end to the game when he knocked over the stumps of Gus Atkinson to share the moment of the win.

‘The plan was to keep it simple and hit a consistent spot. Don't try too much, and if I can get wickets from there, it's a bonus and builds pressure. When I woke up today, I had the belief that I could do it; I had the belief system. I took a photo from Google, which read I can do it and put it as my wallpaper.’ The Hyderabad-born addressed.

The former South African pacer, Dale Steyn, has dropped a shocking statement to put social media on fire. He reckoned that his former captain of the international side, AB de Villiers, would still be better than half of the international players at the IPL. He also wondered if it could be even more than that.

Steyn’s statement comes just the day after South Africa Champions creamed their way to the title of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 by getting the better of the Pakistan side in the chase. As it had been the trend of the competition, Ab de Villiers smashed a fine century in the final to shoulder them over the line.

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De Villiers clubbed an unbeaten knock of 120 runs in 60 deliveries, shouldering on 12 boundaries and seven sixes at a strike rate of nearly 200 in the 197-run chase. That was his third century of the tournament, as he finished at the top of the run-scoring list with 431 runs in six innings at an average of 143.67 and a strike rate of 221.03. The next best in the list, JJ Smuts, had 250 runs less than Ab.

Dale Styen drops fiery statement on Ab de Villiers and IPL internationals

Ab de Villiers, who played the first half of his career with the Delhi capitals before shifting his base to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, earned the success as the eighth leading wicket-taker of the league with the help of 5162 runs in 170 innings at an average of nearly 40 and a strike rate of over 150 with three centuries and 40 half-centuries.

Unpopular/Popular opinion.

Ab is still better than half the internationals at IPL. Maybe even more.

— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) August 3, 2025

Steyn played a couple of seasons with Ab for the Bengaluru side in the IPL. His statement perhaps has come given the wicket-keeper took an early retirement from international cricket. Many have also felt that the Pretoria batter would have fired up the leagues around the world.

In his last season of the IPL in 2021, the right-handed batter ended with 313 runs in 14 innings at an average of 31.30 and a strike rate of 148.34 with two half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 76 runs.

Captaincy is a never-ending job. Many feel that it’s only about changing fielders and throwing the balls to various bowlers in different situations, but leadership is way more than that. When the pressure is on and things don’t go as planned, every single player of the side looks at the skipper with an expectation of doing something magical to bail them out of trouble.

Dale Steyn, the former pacer of the South Africa side, has played under various leaders in international and franchise cricket. Recently, during a video that has gone viral, the right-arm pacer spoke about how he would have loved to play under MS Dhoni. Many believed that he would have named Virat Kohli, who has shared a great friendship with the Protea pacer, playing for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

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‘I would have loved to play under MS Dhoni. I was kind of a player who liked to set my field. I liked to manage my own spaces. I knew what I wanted to do, and my strengths are. And watching from the outside with somebody like MS Dhoni and speaking to some of the bowlers, who have played under him in the Chennai Super Kings, he lets you do that up to a point and then takes over.’ Steyn said in the video.

Dale Steyn reveals the captain he would have loved to play under

Across formats, the Ranchi-born has led the Indian side for 332 games, which is the most among all the international captains. In those games, he earned 178 victories at a winning rate of 53.61%.

Dale Steyn 🎙

I would have loved to play under the leadership of MS Dhoni. pic.twitter.com/1K9ioA3sUr

— ` (@WorshipDhoni) July 31, 2025

‘Then, you have to bowl according to the field that he has set. Just because of his knowledge of the game and the opponents he has played against, and also the cool and calm nature of MS Dhoni, it always seemed to have worked out. And I feel that I would have loved to experience that.’ Steyn addressed.

Dhoni, who has retired from international cricket, gave away the leadership duties to Ruturaj Gaikwad in the IPL. However, he returned to shoulder the responsibility when the latter was ruled out of the 2025 season of the 20-over franchise event.

Yorkers are always the hardest ball to bowl in any format of the game. Bowlers tend to go for this sort of delivery, especially with the old ball, because it gets gripped quite easily in the hands of the bowlers, unlike the new ball. In the death overs, it is still the hardest ball to bowl, even in the modern generation of the game, and the Indian Premier League (IPL) is the biggest stage.

In the 18 seasons of the tournament, many fast bowlers have bowled the best yorkers in the game, making it next to impossible for the batters to get any runs off the ball. From Mustafizur Rahaman to Lasith Malinga, it’s a huge list.  

Let’s take a look at the top 10 yorkers bowled in IPL history.

10. Ishant Sharma in 2024 during DC vs RR

It was the opening ball of the last over to Andre Russell from Ishant Sharma during the clash between the Delhi Capitals and the Rajasthan Royals. Ishant bowled the ball through the middle and off stump of the West Indies, who fell on the floor and saw the stumps being broken as the crowd gave a loud cheer.

9. Dale Steyn in 2019 during RCB vs CSK

It was the game between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Chennai Super Kings in 2019 when the South African pacer delivered a brutal yorker to Suresh Raina. The southpaw was prepared to face the short ball, but the yorker rushed through the middle and off-stump to break the furniture.

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8. Andre Russell in 2021 during KKR vs RCB

On this occasion, it was the story from the IPL 2021 in Abu Dhabi between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Bengaluru side. Russell, on the fourth ball of the ninth over, delivered a cracking yorker on the leg stump as AB de Villiers didn’t have any idea of dealing with that delivery. Russell’s excitement was proof of how much he enjoyed the bowling.

7. Lasith Malinga in 2013 during MI vs CSK

It was the final of the IPL 2013 between the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings at the Eden Gardens when Lasith Malinga delivered one of the best yorkers of the IPL. The right-arm pacer went to the root of the stumps at Michael Hussey, who missed the flick shot and saw his stumps getting destroyed.

6. S Sreesanth in 2009 during CSK vs KXIP

There are very few batters who can play the yorkers better than MS Dhoni. But India’s former pacer S Sreesanth had the last laugh during the IPL 2009, playing for the Kings XI Punjab. The right-arm pacer ran in hard and put a firing yorker at the off-stump, to which Dhoni defended but saw his stumps getting crashed.

5. Jasprit Bumrah in 2024 during PBKS vs MI

It was from the last season of the IPL between the Punjab Kings and the Mumbai Indians when Jasprit Bumrah showed his skills to Rilee Rossouw in Chandigarh. The right-arm pacer came with the angle and bowled a perfect yorker to break the stumps of the southpaw batter, who couldn’t do anything with his shot.

4. Arshdeep Singh in 2023 during MI vs PBKS

At the Wankhede Stadium in 2023 between the Mumbai Indians and the Punjab Kings, the left-arm pacer, Arshdeep Singh, sent a firing yorker against Tilak Verma. With 15 runs needed in four balls, the batter swung his bat and saw the ball breaking the middle stump in two parts.

3. Lasith Malinga in 2012 during MI vs CSK

It’s the second time for Malinga in the list during the 2012 season of the league between the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings. At the Wankhede Stadium in the afternoon fixture, Malinga bowled a perfect yorker to Dwayne Bravo, who looked to drive the ball but could only get it under the stumps to break the furniture. The former Sri Lankan bowler was always known for his incredible skills.

2. Dale Steyn in 2012 during DC vs MI

It was the game between the Decan Chargers and the Mumbai Indians in the 2012 season when Steyn bowled a brilliant yorker against the right-handed batter. Steyn ran in and put it on the root of the stumps as the batter had no clue of how to deal with that delivery. The veteran Protea pacer’s celebration also showed how much it meant to him.

1.Mustafizur Rahman in 2016 during SRH vs KKR

It was the left-handed bowler from Bangladesh, Mustafizur Rahman, who got the top spot for the Sunrisers Hyderabad against the Knight Riders in 2016. Russell was again on the receiving end as he fell on the ground and was on the wrong side of the yorker.

After a disappointing IPL 2025 campaign, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is set to restructure their squad and coaching staff with a massive effect. As per the latest reports, the champion of IPL 2024 appointed a new bowling coach before a new season.

From 2022, Bharat Arun had been doing the job for KKR. His tenure with the multi-time IPL-winning franchise comes to an end after their underwhelming performance in the previous Indian Premier League. As per the latest reports, the Purple Brigade roped in former South Africa international and Royal Challengers Bengaluru pacer Dale Steyn as their new bowling coach to replace Arun.

There were multiple rumors about the possible appointment, which seems finally shaped in reality. Steyn, during his days as an active cricketer, played multiple franchise-based tournaments across the globe. The amount of experience he collected is unmatchable. One of the most lethal pacers during his era, Dale Steyn participated in the cash-rich league with four different franchises, but mostly he played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. With an incredible economy rate of 6.91, the South African took 97 wickets in 95 IPL matches, including his best 3/8. For South Africa, his numbers were more impressive in T20Is. The former cricketer claimed 64 scalps in 47 matches with a 6.94 economy rate and 4/9 as his best in the bracket.

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KKR can consider few more changes

The inclusion of Steyn in the Knight camp will definitely make their dugoutmore exciting, and the bowlers, including young and experienced, can get the chance to interact with one of the best in the business.

But the formal announcement about the change in the coach team is yet to come from the Kolkata Knight Riders. According to speculations, the former champion team can make a few more changes in their backend to modify it with a fresh attire.