Dale Steyn

Dale Steyn, the South African legend is regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time.  Right-arm fast bowler debuted for South Africa in 2004. At his prime, he used to be an aggressive out-and-out fast bowler, capable of bowling at speeds over 150 km/h. Initially known for his lethal control with the old ball and the new, Steyn evolved his attributes over time to stay in tune with the times. 

Initially, Steyn was paired with Makhaya Ntini to form a prolific duo that led South Africa to success under Graeme Smith’s regime. He debuted on the Test tour of England, and he announced himself, against New Zealand, in 2006, taking 16 wickets to mark his authority. After that, the pacer didn’t drop any beat and became the heart-throb of the Proteas pace-battery. 

As Steyn’s career progressed, he started to add records and honours to his glory like ICC ODI Team of the Year 2011, 2014, and Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2014. The South African also holds the record of being ICC’s number one bowler for the most number of days, i.e. 2356 days. 

After Ntini, Steyn was accompanied by Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander, which Allan Donald remarked as the best attack that South Africa have ever produced. The trio took South Africa cricket to greater strengths. They beat England and Australia for the first time away from home since their readmission. Although Steyn’s unparalleled prowess made him the leader of the pact, his match-winning 7 for 51 in the Nagpur Test of 2010, showcased Steyn’s true potential. 

However, in 2013, when the South African speedster turned 30, he suffered a groin strain in the Champions Trophy and a side strain collapsed, later that year, followed by a rib fracture in early 2014. But Steyn made a solid comeback during the Test series against Sri Lanka, in late 2014. By 2015, Steyn was the deadliest bowler, across the world, and the South Africans were counting on the speedster’s back for the World Cup, held in Australia and New Zealand. The seamer had a remarkable WC campaign until the semifinal, where both Steyn and the Proteas choked against New Zealand, in Auckland. 

Four years later, an injury-prone Steyn was back on the fringes for the World Cup selections, but a shoulder injury ruled him out of the 50-over megaevent. Later that year, in August, Steyn retired from Test cricket to concentrate on the shorter formats. However, he hasn’t been firing since the series of injuries collapsed. With the emergence of players like Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, and Lungi Ngidi, Steyn has lost the plot. However, he has been a quality T20 specialist across the globe. The South African has been engaged with T20 leagues like Pakistan Super League and Lanka Premier League, as one of their hot-selling entities. 

(As of June 2021)