Staff at a street cricket set-up in New York patiently gave Dale Steyn pointers on how to bowl, not knowing they were giving tips to a fearsome South Africa fast bowler who took nearly 700 international wickets.

Steyn, who played across all formats of the game in a career spanning 15 years before retiring in 2019, decided to travel to New York, one of the host venues for the current T20 World Cup.

As the 40-year-old tried his luck and bowled a ball at the wicket, one staff member showed him how it should be done.

“Keep in mind to not bend your elbow,” he said helpfully. “It’s a swinging motion going forward... and if you want you can do a little skip.”

Steyn is regarded by many as the greatest bowler of the modern era, whose trademark was his ability to combine late swing with pace, which often made his deliveries unplayable.

He dominated the No.1 spot in the International Cricket Council Test rankings at the peak of his career, for a record 263 weeks between 2008 and 2014. He played 93 Tests for South Africa, taking 439 wickets with a bowling average of 22.95. His fastest recorded delivery reached 156.5km/h in the Indian Premier League in 2010.

As he was given his impromptu pep talk in the Big Apple, Steyn struggled to contain his smile before he managed to hit the stumps with a full toss.

“It should have bounced before it hit the ground,” the staff member said.