Dale Steyn decided to end his cricketing career yesterday, saying goodbye to all members of the cricket universe after some memorable moments. No fan can forget his fast bowling. He was one of the few fast bowlers to have speed, accuracy and swing. To play him in red-ball cricket was a very tough task.
Steyn played 93 Test matches for the South African cricket team, where he picked up 439 wickets, including 27 four-wicket hauls, 26 five-wicket hauls and five 10-wicket hauls. His statistics highlight his consistency. However, after his retirement, a Twitter user posted an interesting stat that proves he is the greatest of all time.
Dale Steyn reached 400 Test wickets milestone, the quickest in terms of deliveries bowled
When Dale Steyn announced his retirement, quite a few fans compared him with James Anderson. Some felt Anderson was better than Steyn, while the others claimed Steyn was the better bowler. Soon, a Twitter posted a tweet with a surprising statistic that reads:
“Dale Steyn reached 400 Test wickets in just 16634 deliveries. No other bowler has taken 400 wickets in less than 20000 balls. Thanks for the memories.”
Dale Steyn reached 400 Test wickets in just 16634 deliveries. No other bowler has taken 400 wickets in less than 20000 balls. Thanks for the memories #DaleSteyn 🐐 pic.twitter.com/DovuJ89sfw
— R A T N I S H (@LoyalSachinFan) August 31, 2021
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Dale Steyn’s bowling average in Test cricket was just 22.95
The above statistic highlights the fact that Steyn could take wickets at regular intervals, thus giving his team the required momentum. No other fast bowler could do so even in their first 20,000 balls, the feat of taking 400 Test wickets, while Steyn did it in only 16,634 balls. In fact, Steyn did not even bowl 20,000 balls in his Test career. He bowled 18,608 balls in 171 Test innings and picked up 439 wickets at a fantastic economy rate of 3.24.
Speaking of his other important numbers in the longest format of the game, Steyn had a bowling average of 22.95, which is mind-boggling. His bowling strike rate was 42/30, while his best bowling figures in a match were 11/60. In the first-class arena as well, Steyn had a brilliant record. He played a total of 141 first-class matches, more than the number of ODIs and T20Is that he played. Steyn took 618 first-class wickets, with his best figures in an innings being 8/41. He played his maiden first-class match back in 2003 and his last appearance came in 2019.
