Dale Steyn has announced his retirement from all sorts of cricket, closing the curtain on a 20-year career during which he became South Africa’s highest wicket-taker in Tests and arguably the country’s greatest ever fast bowler.
Steyn retired from the five-day game in 2019 but had been available for limited-overs cricket and hoped to play at the Twenty20 World Cup within the United Arab Emirates later this year, though he had not featured within the team since February last year.
Steyn may be a bowler with a reputation of having the ability to require wickets altogether sorts of conditions, his raw pace, accuracy, and skill to urge movement both ways being his key weapons.
“It has been 20 years of coaching, matches, travel, wins, losses, strapped feet, jet lag, joy, and brotherhood. Today I officially retire from the sport I really like the foremost. Bittersweet, but grateful,” Steyn said during a statement.
He took 699 international wickets, including a South African record 439 in Tests, and is considered one among the simplest fast bowlers of his generation with extreme pace in his prime and therefore the ability to swing the ball in both directions.
Steyn would have taken more wickets except for injuries later in his career, especially a shoulder problem that restricted him to only 11 Tests after 2015. He featured in 93 altogether, averaging 22.95 with the ball at a strike rate of 42.30.
He was a key part of the South African side that rose to favorite within the Test rankings in 2012.
Some of the previous and current cricket greats took to Twitter to hail the pacer on his glorious career spanning 20 years.
“We have witnessed a fierce bowler in you, whose bowling feats will inspire the longer term generations,” said former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram during a tribute to Steyn.
New Zealand’s Jimmy Nesham also congratulated Steyn on his “amazing career”.
AB De Villiers tweeted, recalling amazing memories he had with the fast bowler.
Australian pacer Pat Cummins hailed Steyn for “setting a typical for fast bowlers world round to follow for 20 years”.
