'Pooran is the catalyst': Dale Steyn's blunt take on LSG's instable 'middle-order'

Former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn delivered a blunt assessment of Lucknow Super Giants’ ongoing struggles at home, highlighting concerns around team selection and the dip in form of key batter Nicholas Pooran. His remarks came after LSG slumped to a 40-run defeat against Rajasthan Royals, marking their third consecutive loss at the Ekana Stadium.

Steyn pointed to the nature of the surface as well as inconsistent team combinations as contributing factors behind LSG’s poor run. He also underlined the importance of Pooran’s role in the middle order, suggesting that his lack of form has had a ripple effect on the team’s batting stability. Head coach Justin Langer, however, offered a slightly different perspective. While acknowledging the defeat, he described the Ekana pitch as a “brilliant cricket wicket” and insisted that the issue lay in the team’s inability to adapt to local conditions rather than the surface itself.

LSG’s batting order has been in constant flux this season, reflecting their search for the right combination. In the latest match, Mitchell Marsh was promoted to open alongside Ayush Badoni, while Aiden Markram, who had previously opened was pushed down to No. 4, slotting in after captain Rishabh Pant and Nicholas Pooran.

Steyn believes the uncertainty stems largely from the team management’s dilemma over Pooran’s form and place in the XI.

"Pooran is the catalyst in this. The poor form of Pooran just means that you're moving good batters (around) to try and shepherd him. Because I think there's a seed of doubt in the coach's minds that they know they need to play him because of what his potential is,” Steyn told ESPNCricinfo.

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Elaborating further, Steyn suggested that this lack of decisiveness is affecting the overall structure of the batting lineup, forcing proven performers to shift positions in search of balance.

"But when he doesn't score runs, you need somebody in there. So Markram is getting thrown from where he should be as an opening batter to the middle order. Because they just want that stability over there. But they're too scared to drop Pooran because they don't have the faith in maybe somebody like a (Matthew) Breetzke to come in to the team,” he added.