Dale Steyn, Test Cricket's Complete Fast Bowler

He retires from Test cricket when still at his peak and when he could have gone on for a couple of more years, play over 100 Tests and take his tally near...

- Partab Ramchand

Can there be any doubt as to Dale Steyn’s place in the pantheon of all-time great fast bowlers? He retires from Test cricket when still at his peak and when he could have gone on for a couple of more years, play over 100 Tests and take his tally near the 500-wicket mark. But then statistics never really governed Steyn’s career. If the figures against his name are still of the eye rubbing and mind-boggling variety they just happened because he was that special. And while he will still be around to bowl in the limited-overs game it was Test cricket that really defined his bowling. It was just that his bowling was more suited to the sport’s traditional format where the accent is on the attack, where the restriction is not the name of the game but the taking of wickets is and that is one thing Steyn was adept at – taking wickets.