DALE Steyn ominously claimed “once I blow the cobwebs out, I will be good” as he left the Ageas Bowl after his Hampshire debut – and Kyle Abbott has warned county cricket that his former South African team-mate is ready to make a big impact.

Fast bowling legend Steyn loosened himself up during Hampshire’s Royal London One-Day Cup defeat to Somerset on Wednesday and will make his red-ball bow against Surrey starting tomorrow, writes Alex Smith.

Former international new ball partner Abbott believes Steyn will scare the life out of batting line-ups around the circuit.

“I would think he will go through a couple of sides,” said Abbott. “Just the name alone will put doubts into some batsmen’s heads.

“That is what he is all about and it is healthy for county players aspiring to play for England as that is what they are going to face when they make that step up.

“It will be great for them to play him at this level to get a gauge on where they are as cricketers.

“I think it goes without saying that he is arguably one of the best fast bowlers in the world, past and present.

“He will bring a load of experience and, when it comes to wrapping up a tail in four-day cricket, he is going to put the fear into a few guys.”

Abbott and Steyn last bowled together in December 2015 during the Boxing Day Test match against England.

And the 30-year-old is looking forward to reuniting with Steyn and revealed exactly why the duo are going to be a tricky couple to face.

Abbott said: “I have been lucky to bowl a lot of overs with him. I remember taking the new ball with him at the 2015 World Cup.

“Opening the bowling with him during the Boxing Day Test at my home ground was pretty special so I am looking forward to rekindling that partnership.

“In a way, we are pretty similar, although he way out-does me on pace!

“We both try to get batsmen out by shaping the ball away and trying to make them nick off and making them play quite a bit – I think we complement each other well.

“We bowl pressure from both ends and it often cracks open and we can get two or three wickets pretty quickly.

“He also has that flip side when it is a dead pitch where he can really heat the guys up. In the same breath, I think I can keep them quiet from the other end and allow him to really express himself.”

Away from the cricket field, Steyn and Abbott enjoy a close-knit friendship thanks to their shared passions – especially surfing.

“Our relationship is pretty good,” added Abbott. “We enjoy a bit of fishing and a bit of wildlife and also surfing, so our conversations quickly turn from cricket to other cool things off the field.

“We have a busy schedule coming up so we will have to see if we can get in some surfing.

“He really wants to get out while he is over here before he goes to Sri Lanka.”

Abbott has been away from the Hampshire side during the 50-over competition as he rested an injured ankle.

But the seamer is now fully recovered and desperate to get back to the middle: “It has been a frustrating couple of weeks and I have been getting itchy feet on the sidelines.

“The initial plan at the start of the year was that I wasn’t going to play too many 50-over games but still be available. It has been disappointing not to play at all.

“I have done a lot of ankle rehab. I only started running about 10 days ago. I had about two weeks completely off my feet to let the ankle recover.

“After those first four-day games, having that break was quite necessary.”