When Australia’s young paceman James Pattinson saw Dale Steyn bowl for the first time, he was spellbound by the South African’s pure athleticism.

Steyn, 29, and Pattinson, 22, will lock horns in the first Test in Brisbane from November 9.

And while Pattinson isn’t short of aggression on the field, the young Victorian is making no attempt to hide his admiration for South Africa’s pace spearhead who has claimed 287 wickets at 23.50 in 57 Tests.

“You look at Dale Steyn’s record and Morne Morkel and what he’s done, it’s fantastic. You respect those players immensely,” Pattinson said on Tuesday.

“I remember the first time I went to South Africa. In the one-day series, I watched Dale Steyn bowl and it was unbelievable watching him bowl live.

“He’s just a fantastic athlete and fantastic the way he goes about it – his aggression and the way he swings the ball at good pace.

“I would like to bowl like that one day and have his record. It’s pretty hard to do because he’s such a good bowler.”

Pattinson boasts an impressive record of 26 wickets at 18.96 in his first five Tests.

But he admits the challenge of taking on the No.1-ranked Proteas in the upcoming three-Test series is a huge one.

Pattinson says South African opener Graeme Smith, a 102-Test veteran with an average of 49.78, is a terrific batsman.

“They build their innings around him. He’s been a fantastic player for a number of years and their captain as well,” Pattinson said.

In the tradition of the great Glenn McGrath, Pattinson is targeting the skipper.

“If you can get on top of the captain early on in this series, it brings the other players down,” he said.

“Get early wickets – that’s the key for us.

“Get a look at Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis pretty early with the new rock.

“Any batsman is vulnerable if you bowl well.

“The Gabba and the WACA are going to be giving some good assistance, especially for that bouncer.”

Pattinson says with JP Duminy possibly playing as a specialist batsman at No.7 below wicketkeeper/batsman AB De Villiers, the Proteas have a deep batting line-up.

“It’s a pretty daunting task as a bowler but it’s something I’m looking forward to,” Pattinson said.

“These challenges don’t come around very often.”