On 5 August 2019, Dale Steyn South African cricketer announced his retirement from the Test format. He made his Test debut against England in December 2004. In spite of his love and preference for Test cricket, Steyn made the decision to retire in order to prolong his playing career in the One Day International (ODI) and TwentyTwenty (T20) formats. In a statement he said, “It’s terrible to consider never playing another Test again but what’s more terrifying is the thought of never playing again at all. So I will be focusing on ODIs and T20s for the rest of my career to maximise my full potential and ensure my longevity in this sport." [1] Though the timing of this decision was unexpected, it is of little surprise to avid cricket fans, as a recurring shoulder injury had greatly limited his time on the field. This injury even forced him to withdraw from the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup held in England and Wales.
A right-arm fast bowler and opener, Steyn currently holds South Africa’s record for the leading Test wicket-taker, claiming 439 wickets in 93 Tests with an average of 22.95 and a strike rate of 42.3 balls per wicket--the average refers to the number of runs a bowler concedes per wicket taken. Steyn is also the 8th highest Test wicket-taker of all-time. Compared to other bowlers with a minimum of 300 wickets, Steyn has the lowest strike rate. To put his injury woes into further perspective, Steyn attained his 400th wicket in July 2015. This feat took him only 16 634 balls to obtain--faster than any other bowler in Test history. [2]
Despite the toll injuries have taken on his body and playing career, Steyn is revered by both his contemporaries and his predecessors, and cherished by fans. Known for his aggressive bowling style and his ability to swing the new ball and the old ball on various pitch conditions across the cricketing world, Steyn is considered by many to be the greatest fast bowler of his generation and arguably one of the greatest of all time.
End notes
[1] Siviwe Breakfast, “Dale Steyn retires: Fast bowler calls time on his Test career,” The South African, 6 August 2019. https://www.thesouthafrican.com/sport/cricket/dale-steyn-retires-fast-bowler-calls-time-on-test-career/. ↵
[2]Mohandas Menon, “Dale Steyn - Fastest to 400 Test wickets,” Sport 360, 30 July 2015, https://sport360.com/article/cricket/40186/360stats-dale-steyn-fastest-400-test-wickets ↵
- Breakfast, Siviwe. “Dale Steyn retires: Fast bowler calls time on his Test career.” The South African. August 6, 2019. https://www.thesouthafrican.com/sport/cricket/dale-steyn-retires-fast-bowler-calls-time-on-test-career/.
- Menon, Mohandas. “Dale Steyn - Fastest to 400 Test wickets.” Sport 360. July 30, 2015. https://sport360.com/article/cricket/40186/360stats-dale-steyn-fastest-400-test-wickets.