South African skipper Faf du Plessis expects fit-again spearhead Dale Steyn will prove this month he's still the best bowler in the world.
Steyn hasn't played for the Proteas since their Boxing Day Test against England because of a shoulder injury.
But the express paceman is fit, firing and ready to unleash his fury on Australia in the Twenty20 clash that starts in Durban at 3am (AEDT) on Saturday.
The 32-year-old is determined to make a point in response to those opining he's on the verge of retirement and shouldn't be playing all three formats.
"A hungry Dale Steyn is the reason why we were thinking of selecting him for this World Cup," du Plessis said on the eve of the three-match T20 series opener.
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"Dale, when he's like that in that space, he'll be consistently proving to everyone that he's the best bowler in the world.
"It's great to see him hungry."
Steyn has terrorised teammates in the nets at Kingsmead this week, having recently proven his fitness in a club game.
Du Plessis noted Steyn, who made his international debut in 2004 and had featured in some classic battles with Australia, had lost none of his pace.
"It's just great to have him back in the squad," he said.
"It's been a while.
"He's been injured for a long time but it's good to see that even though he's been injured ... it looks like he's bowling at full pace and everything's ready to go."
Earlier this year, Steyn teed off at suggestions he could be nearing the end of an 82-Test career.
"Absolute rubbish - I played 48 Tests in a row, didn't miss a single one and, now suddenly, I'm an injury liability at the age of 32?
"It's ridiculous. Injuries can happen to anybody but I'm still one of the fittest players in the squad and I have many, many overs left in me."
