Dale Steyn - An all-conditions wrecker-in-chief in numbers

Undoubtedly one of the best fast bowlers to have ever graced the sport, Dale Steyn has over the years been a major weapon for any team he has represented. With a fiery persona and a deadly outswinger, Steyn managed to be a match-winner for South Africa across all conditions. Be it the juicy surfaces of his homeland, South Africa, or the batting paradises in the sub-continent, Steyn would invariably deliver for his team. In a Test career spanning 15 years, Steyn amassed multiple records.

Here’s a look at 5 statistics and trivia from a bowler who has given much joy to cricket aficionados over the years.

439 - Dale Steyn holds the record for the most Test wickets by a South African bowler with 439 wickets. Steyn surpassed Shaun Pollock’s tally of 421 on the Boxing day in 2018 in Centurion against Pakistan. Steyn, however, has bowled in 15 tests and 31 innings fewer respectively than Pollock.

5s and 10s - Dale Steyn has taken 5 wickets in an innings 26 times and 10 wickets in a match on 5 occasions. Both of those are the most by any South African bowler in Test cricket. Forget 6s and 7s, it would be safe to say Steyn left the opposition in 5s and 10s.

37.1 - Dale Steyn’s bowling strike rate in India is the best for any visiting bowler to have bowled in at least 6 innings. Steyn’s total of 92 wickets is also the most for any South African bowler bowling in the Sub-continent in Test cricket.

10 in 2010 - Steyn is also the only South African fast bowler to have taken a 10-fer in a Test match in the sub-continent. The only two other bowlers to have achieved the feat from South Africa - Paul Adams against Bangladesh in 2003 and Keshav Maharaj against Sri Lanka in 2018. Steyn destroyed India with a 10-fer in Nagpur in 2010.

74 - The number of wickets taken by Dale Steyn in 2008 is the second-most by any South African bowler in a calendar year. Allan Donald had taken 80 wickets in 1998. However, Steyn’s wickets came at a superior strike rate of 35.8 balls per wicket compared to Donald’s 40.4. Steyn enjoyed an incredible year in international cricket in 2008 in which he took 90 wickets across all 3 formats. He was awarded the Test player of the year in September 2008 for an incredible 86 wickets in the 12-month period under consideration.