Dale Steyn might have taken three wickets from his first foray in whites in more than a year in Paarl on Wednesday.

Instead he left the field with none‚ but with a far more valuable prize — the knowledge that his shoulder had been successfully repaired.

Steyn is playing for a South Africa Invitation XI against Zimbabwe in a three-day‚ day/night tour match.

At stumps on Wednesday‚ the first day‚ the South Africans were 60/3 in reply to the visitors’ first innings of 196.

It’s Steyn’s first game in a longer format and the only cricket has played besides five T20s — in which he bowled a total of 18 overs for the Titans — since he broke a shoulder and tore three major muscles playing against Australia in Perth in November 2016.

Steyn took the new ball‚ and almost everybody present thought he had Solomon Mire caught behind in his first over. But almost everybody did not include the umpire.

In his third over Steyn induced an uppish drive from Hamilton Masakadza to point‚ where the catch was dropped.

Steyn’s first three overs were maidens as the Zimbabweans struggled to lay bat on ball facing him.

Or‚ less prosaically‚ and as former South Africa bowling coach Vinnie Barnes yelled as he burst through the pressbox door‚ “Poetry in motion!”

Steyn went for three runs in his first spell of five overs‚ and his next of four overs featured an edge off the bat of Ryan Burl that wasn’t caught behind the wicket.

He returned for a two-over burst and then a single over before the Zimbabweans were dismissed‚ finishing with figures of 12-5-16-0.

“I didn’t crank it up too much today‚” Steyn said. “It’s important not to show these guys too much. No bouncers‚ line and length — steady stuff.”

Steyn is now expected to make his return to test cricket against Zimbabwe at St George’s Park on Tuesday.

He sounded ready for that challenge: “I don’t feel like I’m in any pain. That’s quite strange because I played a career with niggles all over the place‚ so it is quite nice to bowl now without anything.

“It is just about getting overs under the belt‚ and the recovery over the weekend and to pick it up again when I get to PE.

“A good day today and couple of overs tomorrow I think should be enough.”

At 34 and with a list of significant injuries to think about‚ most fast bowlers might consider a career change. But Steyn isn’t most fast bowlers.

“We’ve all got that one friend who runs the Comrades until he’s‚ like‚ 60‚” he said. “I think I’m one of those guys.

“I don’t really worry about fitness. I’m still fitter than the youngest guys in the side if not the fittest guy in the team.

“Age is not an issue. It was just about getting through this year and trying to decide whether I still wanted to do it.

“I think most people at 34 start thinking about other things in life like retirement and family. I’m in the fortunate position that I don’t really need to think about that much right now. Cricket is my main focus.

“I thought let’s give it a crack‚ and I’ll play until I am good to go [out of the team]. I play cricket. That’s what I do.

“I’ll play until I’m not good enough or someone’s better than me‚ then he can replace me.”

In keeping with his youthful mindset Steyn was eager to play a pink-ball test‚ which he should do at St George’s Park — where the teams will play‚ unusually‚ a four-day test.

“I am a traditionalist and I do like the longer version of the game‚” he said. “But I’m all for it. It’s a challenge — I would like to take five wickets with the pink ball. I could retire and say‚ ‘I did that‚ too’.

“Bring it on. I’m not shy of that. The game needs new types of things to bring new players to the ballpark; new thinking.

“Everybody was against the idea of 20-20 cricket and we can see what a big game it is today.

“Who knows‚ this could be the next big thing or even [take cricket to] the Olympics.”

And earn Steyn another entry in the record books: should he take five wickets in Port Elizabeth he will overtake Shaun Pollock as South Africa’s leading test wicket-taker.