Congratulations to Dale Steyn for 250 Test wickets in quick time

[MenInG]

Apparently, according to CSA release, he is the second quickest to get to 250 Test Match wickets after Dennis Lillee!


CSA CONGRATULATES DALE STEYN

December 16

CRICKET SOUTH AFRICA (CSA) on Friday congratulated Dale Steyn on his achievement in becoming the second quickest cricketer of all time to take 250 Test match wickets.

Steyn achieved the feat on the opening day of the first Sunfoil Test match against Sri Lanka at SuperSport Park on Thursday. He was playing in his 49th Test match and only Australian legend Dennis Lillee has got to that mark ahead of him in 48 Test matches.

“It is a magnificent achievement by Dale,” commented CSA CEO Gerald Majola. “If one considers that he took 13 matches to take his first 50 wickets it means that he has taken 200 wickets in his last 36 games. He has, in fact, been averaging 50 wickets per 10 matches played over the last few years which is a phenomenal achievement.

“Dale is also one of only four bowlers ever to have a career strike rate below 30 and the only one to do so who has taken more than 200 wickets.

“It can only be a matter of time before he becomes the fourth South African to join the 300 wickets club alongside Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini and it is a reminder of how fortunate we have been to have this quartet leading our bowling attack in the 20 years since we rejoined the international cricket community.

“It has also been highly encouraging to see the way Vernon Philander has started his Test career with five-wicket hauls in all of his first three matches. He is one of only five bowlers to achieve this feat in the history of the game and the first for some 30 years.”

[velu]

Great achievement. :bow:
He is still 28, and dont have any serious injury problems.

PS:-
His strike rate is not less than 30, but less than 40. ( 39.4 to be precise ) :|

[velu]

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/5610/steyn.jpg

[Geordie Ahmed]

^^^^^^^^

Not sure why you are highlighting those averages Velu, surely as an Indian those are still impressive? :D

[Geordie Ahmed]

Congrats to Steyn, amazing achievement. Superb bowler

[velu]

^^^^^^^^

Not sure why you are highlighting those averages Velu, surely as an Indian those are still impressive? :D

58 is still a good SR for us considering harbhajan's SR is arnd 80 now :91:

His records are poor against England and Pakistan.
But his average against pak is spoilt because of his 2 poor tests in sharjah. :|

[doctordamor]

sowie as much as i like steyn give him less bowler freindly wkts and he sucks just like lots of other bowlers. Only good pace bowlers who will work on all conditions are pakistanis

[Bullet Drive]

sowie as much as i like steyn give him less bowler freindly wkts and he sucks just like lots of other bowlers. Only good pace bowlers who will work on all conditions are pakistanis

Averages 20 in India and 15 in Bangladesh. Sorry.

[James]

One of the best bowlers I've ever seen.

His record in India is amaaaaaaaazing.

Still got a bit to do in England, but got a good chance to do it next year.

[PakPrince]

Dale Steyn is the most complete fast bowler in the last 10 years

[forzapakistan]

Dale Steyn is wow, just wow. Sheer class. I love that guy to bits and wish him the very best. Whenever I see him being interviewed I smile because he's so gracious and friendly and down-to-earth. I hope he'll break many more records throughout his career, he's an amazing cricketer and an amazing person. Congrats to him!

[Looney]

many many congratulations to him

really admire him as a bowler , wish him all the best and hope he gets to break more records inshallah :D

[Liverpool_Faizan]

good bowler but whenever he plays against Pakistan, for some reason I dont worry about him. Its Morne Morkel who scares me more.

[doctordamor]

Averages 20 in India and 15 in Bangladesh. Sorry.

well BD dun count, good avg in india i agree, still not convinced, well i might be wrong just my opinon mate. Dun think he is this great most wkts cuz of SA aus pitches. Dun get me wrong a very good bowler just dun think he is that great. But than I never rated lillee great either :)

[TheHK16]

he gets that crazy outswinger going in all conditions i have even seen him getting crazy outswing in the ipl

[KingKhanWC]

He could get 400 wickets before he retires. One of the best pace bowlers of all time.

[James]

He could get 400 wickets before he retires. One of the best pace bowlers of all time.

Agree with the second sentence but only partly with the first, as Steyn is but 28 and could get a lot more than 400 wickets. He is just as fit and brilliant as Glenn McGrath, who played until the age of 36. In eight years, Steyn can go past McGrath's record of 563.

[Jo_Don]

250 wickets in 5 years, I'd back him to get 250 more in the next 5/6. Well done boy, all the best for future!

[cricketworm]

He is super star!! Can't wait for him to get that best ever players' rankings ... I think he needs to beat 930 something.

[Warfare]

Amazing bowler. And to consider his average and strike rate in today's batsman dominated game is quite phenomenal.

Hopefully he has a very long career, playing unto the age of 36 and bagging at least 550-600 wickets. Test cricket needs such bowlers to survive for as long as possible.

[sameer]

remarkable indeed..whats more intresting fact is that his first fifty wickets came in 13 test matches.was struggling a bit.but the way he had performed afterwards is brilliant!!

[offcutter]

Amazing that he averages 5 wickets per match for 50 matches. This guy is absolutely the best fast bowler in the game today and the best to debut in the last 10 years.

[WalkingWiggett]

Amazing that he averages 5 wickets per match for 50 matches. This guy is absolutely the best fast bowler in the game today and the best to debut in the last 10 years.

^^^ This. :akhtar

[Inziquicksingle]

well BD dun count, good avg in india i agree, still not convinced, well i might be wrong just my opinon mate. Dun think he is this great most wkts cuz of SA aus pitches. Dun get me wrong a very good bowler just dun think he is that great. But than I never rated lillee great either :)

I would like to hear your views about which bowlers you "rate". Actually no I wouldnt. You are clueless.

[kingusama92]

He will find his name among the greatest fast bowlers of all time.

We are witnessing a career of a true genius.

[PakPrince]

^
no asif was a true genius.. he was blesed with natural talent

steyn had to work a lot to get where he is.

i remember his early days where ppl used to slag him for being inconsistent and being an injury wreck

[kingusama92]

^
no asif was a true genius.. he was blesed with natural talent

steyn had to work a lot to get where he is.

i remember his early days where ppl used to slag him for being inconsistent and being an injury wreck

Sure, but Asif's beginning was atrocious, as well.

What Steyn does with the ball in terms of swing is pure skill.

[amjad_ali]

Sure, but Asif's beginning was atrocious, as well.

What Steyn does with the ball in terms of swing is pure skill.

And at pace :akhtar

That delivery which pitches on leg and swings away towards the off stump is as unplayable as it can get.

[*sallu*]

Well on his way in becoming a legend of the game, is a phenomenal bowler

[Romali_rotti]

Imagine if Steyn was bowling in the 90's or lets go back a bit more in the 80's :O..........

[AZ]

lol, well when are we going to SA?

he's going to murder us, we got lucky he was not 100% in UAE.

and yet to enter his prime, he's going to be a phenomenon.

[JibranAnsari]

January 2013 will be our shaamat by steyn and co. Philander bhee zehreela he.

[Justcrazy]

He looks like 500 wickets easily...... Gets th ball to swing at high pace.

[sawal]

Somehow I always feel like steyn and bond are same bowlers.

[Saurav]

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3CnGABJrI8c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

:bow:

[Robert]

^^^^^^^^

Not sure why you are highlighting those averages Velu, surely as an Indian those are still impressive? :D

It's really funny how Steyn is super effective in India, but not in England!

One of the best bowlers I've ever seen.

Still got a bit to do in England, but got a good chance to do it next year.

I don't consider him as good as Donald, because he has not really done it against us yet. I don't know why not. Perhaps he was bowling through injuries when he played us.

[JibranAnsari]

It's really funny how Steyn is super effective in India, but not in England!



I don't consider him as good as Donald, because he has not really done it against us yet. I don't know why not. Perhaps he was bowling through injuries when he played us.

Probably steyn was not in best of the forms in england , it is hard to imagine steyn failing in england. He has not played much though in england. We might see his true colors in england next year. in one of the matches the southafrican team scored 393 for 3 following on so imagine the pitch. in the other match he took 7 wickets and SA won.

[leatherface58]

if saf toured england now, it would be a good battle. eng vs steyn and co.

[cricketworm]

I like the way his celebration differences between tailenders wickets and top order batsmen's wickets. I have rarely seen him celebrating like crazy unless that tailender has smashed him around ... That also says a lot about his character.

He kind of respect tailenders and knows that they aren't so good anyway.

[cricketworm]

His record in England will improve, you can't hold just one series, which was his debut series in England against him.

When he returned he did quite well. http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/296910.html

[JellyBro]

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3CnGABJrI8c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

:bow:

:|

[cricketworm]

Steyn was bowling freakishly good during SA-Ind. series. Lot better than he did against AUs. and SL. One must see full-highlights of those test matches, if they have missed. Top top bowling!

[James]

Steyn was bowling freakishly good during SA-Ind. series. Lot better than he did against AUs. and SL. One must see full-highlights of those test matches, if they have missed. Top top bowling!

Yes indeedy. What a battle with Tendulkar in the third test. The world's best bowler and batsman locking horns.

[cricketworm]

Yes indeedy. What a battle with Tendulkar in the third test. The world's best bowler and batsman locking horns.

It was so good to watch, must admit, he beat Grandpa hands down. SRT's temperament saved him and somehow managed those runs!

[James]

It was so good to watch, must admit, he beat Grandpa hands down. SRT's temperament saved him and somehow managed those runs!

No doubt Steyn solidified his standing as the world's best bowler that day, but I would also argue Tendulkar's stock rose because he managed to survive! Few players would have.

[cricketworm]

No doubt Steyn solidified his standing as the world's best bowler that day, but I would also argue Tendulkar's stock rose because he managed to survive! Few players would have.

True, SRT is only 2nd batsman (other than SAfrican) to score 1000 runs in SA ... there is reason for that.

Even in first test, in damp condition he was the one standing (Wished Zak would have been there).

http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-india-2010/engine/match/463148.html?view=pvp

Out of 83 balls he faced against Steyn I bet at least 50 of those were wicket taking ones! So, gutted we couldn't win at capetown, certain wonderful Fat man :kallis - Bulldog Boucher saved them. Sigh!!