Steyn - How Good?

They say a batsman's average should increase by 5 in this batsmen friendly era, so that being the case, should we take 5 off Steyn's bowling average? This would give him an average of approx 17.80 and a strike rate of approx 41.

When you bear in mind the other top quickies average around 28-29, a decrease of 5 sounds about right.

So, with his 'new' average, strike rate and obvious talent to knock over top batsmen, is Steyn the best quickie..........well ever?

The best pacer in the world today....

That said, I don't like the idea of comparing pacers from different eras.

How can anyone really say if Malcolm Marshall is better than Dale Steyn, or vice versa? But they are both easily the best bowlers at the time when they bowled in Test cricket....

Not as good as Jimmy Anderson

I joke of course, its Steyn, then daylight, then the rest including Anderson and Morkel at the moment.

Comparisons across eras may not be easy, but in my view its undoubted that Dale Steyn is among the best ever fast bowlers who played the game. The best of the current lot by a long way.

Yup agree with most. The game has moved on allot from past era's so making comparisons is very difficult. Easily the best fast bowler for me bar Glenn McGrath in the last 10 years in Test cricket.

It will always be difficult to compare bowlers in different era's, but by the same token as many beleive Marshall was the best in his era, Steyn is by far in his era.

I'll leave the conjecture and subjective opinions to you lot.

Is it worth pointing out that Anderson got very similar figures in a Home Test Match against Pakistan in 2010?

Duty281 wrote:Is it worth pointing out that Anderson got very similar figures in a Home Test Match against Pakistan in 2010?

Is it worth pointing out that Dale Steyn has taken 323 wickets in 63 Tests?

Anderson has 288 wickets in 77 Tests.

No I thought not.

Gerry SA wrote:

Duty281 wrote:Is it worth pointing out that Anderson got very similar figures in a Home Test Match against Pakistan in 2010?

Is it worth pointing out that Dale Steyn has taken 323 wickets in 63 Tests?

Anderson has 288 wickets in 77 Tests.

No I thought not.

Haha, too easy, far too easy. Only took 8 minutes to wind someone up!

Gerry SA wrote:

Duty281 wrote:Is it worth pointing out that Anderson got very similar figures in a Home Test Match against Pakistan in 2010?

Is it worth pointing out that Dale Steyn has taken 323 wickets in 63 Tests?

Anderson has 288 wickets in 77 Tests.

No I thought not.

To be fair Duty was talking about 1 test match. Not a whole career.

Duty281 wrote:

Gerry SA wrote:

Duty281 wrote:Is it worth pointing out that Anderson got very similar figures in a Home Test Match against Pakistan in 2010?

Is it worth pointing out that Dale Steyn has taken 323 wickets in 63 Tests?

Anderson has 288 wickets in 77 Tests.

No I thought not.

Haha, too easy, far too easy. Only took 8 minutes to wind someone up!

That was like taking candy from a baby, err I mean Gerry

Biltong wrote:

Duty281 wrote:

Gerry SA wrote:

Duty281 wrote:Is it worth pointing out that Anderson got very similar figures in a Home Test Match against Pakistan in 2010?

Is it worth pointing out that Dale Steyn has taken 323 wickets in 63 Tests?

Anderson has 288 wickets in 77 Tests.

No I thought not.

Haha, too easy, far too easy. Only took 8 minutes to wind someone up!

That was like taking candy from a baby, err I mean Gerry

FYI BB Gerry doesn't have any candy to start with!

Biltong wrote:

Gerry SA wrote:

Duty281 wrote:Is it worth pointing out that Anderson got very similar figures in a Home Test Match against Pakistan in 2010?

Is it worth pointing out that Dale Steyn has taken 323 wickets in 63 Tests?

Anderson has 288 wickets in 77 Tests.

No I thought not.

To be fair Duty was talking about 1 test match. Not a whole career.

Anyway if we are only talking about 1 Test performances Steyn has 5 10fers to Anderson's measly 1

Gerry SA wrote:

Biltong wrote:

Duty281 wrote:

Gerry SA wrote:

Duty281 wrote:Is it worth pointing out that Anderson got very similar figures in a Home Test Match against Pakistan in 2010?

Is it worth pointing out that Dale Steyn has taken 323 wickets in 63 Tests?

Anderson has 288 wickets in 77 Tests.

No I thought not.

Haha, too easy, far too easy. Only took 8 minutes to wind someone up!

That was like taking candy from a baby, err I mean Gerry

FYI BB Gerry doesn't have any candy to start with!

You should go to Makro, I bought a box of XXX for R63,00 it has 50 rolls in. cheap as chips. Errr candy.

R63, Biltong? I love XXX so I am going to check that out.

Now, to answer the OP, how good? Probably already a legend. In an era of docile pitches, Huge bats, and an ICC which conspires to give batsmen every possible advantage, Steyn has been #1 for nearly 4 years. He averages 21 in the sub coninent. In the England series, he was made first-change and was still the leading wicket-taker.
Having dissapointed in the first two Test, he came with real venom in Perth to take the initiative.

I dont like comparing eras, but in terms of out and out pace, the man is up there both in terms of statistics & intangibles with any great you care to mention.
They say Lillee was the greatest, or maybr McGrath I always loved Holding, but Steyn is truly special. He has all but surpassed Donald, and he has done so despite (or maybe because?) the arrival of a wicket-taking machine in Philander.

Truth is, as good as Steyn is, the real story lies in that new ball pairing. As Philander said after his fifer in England, the stats dont lie.
Lillee & Thomson
Holding & Marshall
Ambrose &Walsh
McGrath & Lee (the amount of times I got up at three AM as litte kid to watch the carnage probably stunted my growth), these are probably the ATG new-ball pairings, and Steyn-Philander could just be up there.

This is away from the point, but Morkel really seems unlikely to live up to the potential he showed. No fault of his own, the mechanics of cricket make having 3 great bowlers in one line up statistically impossible.

In closing I just want to say... I miss Muhammad Asif!!

Stella - I would say he was Stellar.