Dale Steyn, one of history’s biggest fast bowlers, retired from Test Cricket on Monday, August 5th. Here are five of his best tests.
JUST IN: After 93 Tests and 439 Test wickets, Dale Steyn has announced his retirement from Test cricket. pic.twitter.com/3l1XmWKvvn
— ICC (@ICC) August 5, 2019
South Africa v New Zealand, SuperSport Park, Centurion, 15-19 April 2006 (5/47)
Steyn’s first five-goal move was crucial, as he cruised a balanced test crucial on the way to South Africa. The century of Jacob Oram had given the visitors a 51-point lead after the first innings, and South Africa responded with 299 points to reach a goal of 248.
Steyn and Makhaya Ntini, however, assured each other that they would not approach and demanded five gates each. Ntini removed the top three and then Steyn came and dismissed Stephen Fleming, Scott Styris, Brendon McCullum and Daniel Vettori. He sealed the win and his own milestone by bowing Chris Martin to finish New Zealand’s Blackings 128 innings.
South Africa v India, Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad, 3-7 April 2008 (5/23)
India had scored 627 points in a draw that had been tied, and the surface looked solid again – as it turned out, when AB de Villiers scored a double and South Africa scored almost 500 points in the second innings. But the first was Steyn, who claimed Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid in an inspired opening spell before returning to take the tail off the host. It remains India’s second-lowest test sum at home.
South Africa v Australia, Melbourne Cricket Ground, 26-30 December 2008 ( 5/87, 5/67, 76 )
One of the biggest accomplishments in the test history came from a man who had only half a century left in his entire testing career. First of all, Steyn’s five-for-limit in Australia had dropped to 394 in the first innings, but it still seemed like a lot as South Africa slipped in response to 251/8.
Enter Steyn, who made 76 in a 180-run stand with JP Duminy – whose 166 was one of the best test innings of all time – to give the Proteas an unlikely lead of 65 runs. Steyn was back soon and dismissed four of the six best Australians on the way to ten wickets in the match. South Africa chased 183 without a hitch, and after scoring the second highest chase in the history of the test in the first game of the series, they managed a first victory in Australia.
With Dale Steyn announcing his retirement from Test cricket, here's every wicket he took on Aussie soil. Legend. pic.twitter.com/1pScSNhp8X
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) August 5, 2019
South Africa v India, Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur, 6-9 February 2010 ( 7/51 )
Steyn celebrated his career best in Nagpur with a devastating phase of reverse swing bowling and defied alien conditions when South Africa celebrated the victory with an innings and six runs at the inception of the series. India, previously unbeaten under the leadership of MS Dhoni, was cut by 233 on an area that is sufficient for South Africa to win 558/6 in the first innings. His scalp was made up of Murali Vijay and Sachin Tendulkar, and the Proteas maintained a lead big enough to succeed. Dhoni was no longer unbeaten.
South Africa v Pakistan, Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, 1-4 February 2013 ( 6/8 )
When Pakistan defeated South Africa for 253 in the first innings, they may have felt that they were approaching parity, or perhaps even getting a head start. They certainly would not have thought that they would be back in the field 30 Overs later, after they were bowled for 49, their lowest test score of all time. If Graeme Smith had felt so inclined, he could even have succeeded in the succession.
If Pakistan was on Six and Seven, Steyn was on Six and Eight, claiming incredible numbers of 8.1-6-8-6. Six Pakistani players were behind, two straight away, one in the barrier and one in the barrier, defenseless in the face of a pace bowling championship.
