If you take sport away we don't have anything, enunciates Dale Steyn
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Dale Steyn feels it's a pity that sporting events are being cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis and believes that if sport is taken away, then there's nothing. The South African pacer has been staying back at home after coming back from a coronavirus-forced hotel arrest in Pakistan.
South African pacer Dale Steyn, who returned from Pakistan due to the virus outbreak, said it's indescribable how the situation changed in a matter of hours. He was playing for Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League which was suspended on the day of its semifinal clashes. He said it is a sad situation as in a country like South Africa sports is the one thing that brings everybody together.
"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," said Steyn, reported The Times Of India.
Major events such as the Euro and Copa America football, French Open tennis and Formula One races have been postponed due to the health emergency gripping the world. Despite the panic all around, Steyn said he has avoided stockpiling essentials like many others as it's unfair to do so in a crisis.
"We just decided that stockpiling is definitely not the way to go. It is not fair on everybody who needs that stuff. I went to the grocery store the other day and everyone had bought all the toilet paper. We have what we need, and when that runs out, that runs out, and we need to go and get some more. We didn't feel it was necessary to go and absolutely just, like, zombie our lives up.”
"There's other people that live on a day-to-day basis. They are not going to get all of that stuff, so we thought it was best not to do that," said the pacer.
On being asked about the hotel arrest in Pakistan during the PSL Steyn said that it is totally fine, he didn’t want to break protocol and if something happens be blamed for cricket never being played in Pakistan again.Â
"We were under that kind of hotel arrest - advised not to go out and wander the streets, which is totally fine; I don't want to break protocol and (have) something happen and be blamed for cricket never being played in Pakistan again because I did something stupid," said the 36-year-old.Â
