38-year-old South African fearsome bowler, Dale Steyn has decided to retire from all forms of cricket, citing his age and the coronavirus epidemic as reasons. Dale Steyn announced his retirement on Tuesday (August 31) in a tweet on his verified Twitter account, which included three photos of him. Dale Steyn gave thanks to his family, colleagues, media, and fans for their support throughout the span of his 20-year cricket career. He also expressed gratitude for his accomplishments in cricket. In this article, we will look at Dale Steyn's cricket career and where does he rank among the greatest fast bowlers?

Also read: Fast bowler Dale Steyn retires from test cricket

Dale Steyn’s International Cricket Career at a Glance 

Dale Steyn debuted in international cricket in 2004 during a tour of England. His first international wicket was former English opener Marcus Trescothick. Steyn played 93 Tests, 125 One-Day Internationals, and 47 Twenty-20 Internationals before retiring on August 31, 2021. Dale Steyn was plagued by injuries throughout his career, which caused him to miss several international matches. Otherwise, he could have improved his record much more if he had been in better shape. He was at his best from 2007 to 2011.  

Dale Steyn received the ICC Test Player of the Year award in 2008 and the Wisden Cricketer of the Year award in 2014. He was a member of the ICC Test team of the year in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016. Dale Steyn was named to the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Test Team of the Decade (2011–2020).

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Let's take a quick look at his international cricket career…

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Dale Steyn’s International Record in Numbers 

Dale Steyn had a stellar cricket career, particularly in Test cricket. Steyn's record speaks for itself. Here are a few of Dale Steyn's most notable records.

8 – He was named to the ICC Test team of the year Most times.

80 – Dale Steyn is the fastest pace bowler to complete 400 Test wickets. 

92 – Dale Steyn has taken the most wickets on Asian soil (92).

439 – Dale Steyn claimed 439 wickets in 93 Tests, the most by a South African bowler.

31.9 – Dale Steyn has the third-highest strike rate (31.9) in ODI among the South African bowler. 

42.3 – He has the best strike rate of any bowler with more than 200 wickets

7/51 – In Tests, his best bowling performance was against India in Nagpur in February 2010.

Dale Steyn is the eighth highest wicket-taker in Test cricket (439), and the fifth-highest by a fast bowler. In the Test format, he has the third-best average among the top ten wicket-takers. What's more amazing is that he has the best strike rate (42.3) among Test bowlers with 200 or more wickets.Dale Steyn's incredible record demonstrates that he is a class of his own and one of the greatest bowlers in cricket history.

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Bottom Line 

Dale Steyn's overall cricket record indicates that he is unquestionably one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. Yet we can't say for sure where he ranks among the greatest bowlers of all time? Because the game has been graced by so many outstanding fast bowlers over the years. Therefore, making an all-time list should not be used to diminish someone's accomplishments. However, Dale Steyn was the most terrifying fast bowler of the last decade, and he was admired by the previous generation's best pace bowlers.

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