Dale Steyn, the South African cricketer, has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. Steyn, widely recognised as one of the best fast bowlers of all time, made the announcement on Twitter, saying that it was ‘bitter sweet’ but that he was ‘grateful’.
Steyn, a native of Phalaborwa in Limpopo, made his Test debut for South Africa against England in 2004, after only eleven first-class matches. He soon became the spearhead of the team and was instrumental in many of South African cricket’s greatest moments, including the first-ever South African Test win in Australia in the 2008/09 season and when South Africa reached the top of the Test rankings in 2012.
Steyn, who was born in 1983, was a mainstay of the team until 2016, when injuries began taking their toll and he gradually lost his place in the side. His last international match for South Africa was a T20I against Australia at the beginning of last year.
Steyn was South Africa’s leading wicket-taker in Test matches, finishing with 439 wickets at an average of 22.95. His strike rate of 42.3 is also one of the best ever, and the second highest for any player with more than 200 Test wickets, with countryman Kagiso Rabada the only man with 200 Test wickets and a better strike rate.
While not as prolific with the bat, he played a number of valuable innings for his country, not least at Melbourne in 2008, when he made 76 and added 180 for the ninth wicket with JP Duminy, which set up a series win for the Proteas.
He also played 125 ODIs, taking 196 wickets, and 47 T20Is, with 64 wickets.
Tributes poured in from the cricketing world, with fellow fast bowlers, Australian Pat Cummins, and Englishman Jimmy Anderson, among others taking to Twitter to express their admiration for Steyn.