W'e're up in the scorer's box at the Oval, two days on from Surrey's County Championship victory over Kent. Cameron Steel has already spoken to the Times and the Cricketer, his leg-spin making him the leading wickettaker in the country, 21 at 12.33 after four rounds. After we're done talking, a Cricinfo journalist will run through a set of similar questions for the 28-year-old.
Yes, in a county side consisting of England internationals, Indian Premier League starters and clutch overseas pros, Steel - a polite, unassuming all-rounder largely unknown beyond the shires - is the man to speak to at present. "I could never have expected the stats to be the way they are," he says. "But I've felt as though it's been a long time coming for my bowling to get to this point." Born in the United States to English parents, Steel spent his early years in Hampshire and Somerset before a family trip to Australia for the 2006-07 Ashes prompted a switch to Perth: "Mum and Dad just decided they loved it and wanted to move." The love for batting was already there before the bowling developed in his teens and took him through Western Australia's age-group sides. "I was touted as the next big thing when it came to leggies," he says. He then returned to England, representing Middlesex's second XI while studying and playing firstclass cricket at Durham University.
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