Dale Steyn retires from cricket

One of the all time greats and one of my favourite cricketers ever to watch. Searing pace and a fantastic wrist to control swing and seam movement.

He did it everywhere in the world in Test cricket as well. The highest bowling average he has in any individual country is 32.78 in the UAE. He averaged 21.38 in India. Just phenomenal.

His strike rate of 42.3 is astoundingly good.

For a long time my bowling attack in the age old cricket nerds debate of 'best ever Test XI' would be Marshall, Akram and Warne joined by any of Ambrose, Garner, McGrath, Lillee, Hadlee, Donald, Khan and Murali depending largely on where mood took me. In my mind those top three of Marshall, Akram and Warne stood alone basically, followed by a long list of spectacular bowlers that I struggled to split. In the last few years though Steyn has pretty much settled into that final spot in the best Test attack I think I can pick.

Dale Steyn was a fearsome bowler, very good...infact great, spectacular average, strike rate both balls per wicket and wkts per test
BUT  
among SA fast bowlers Alan Donald was better
The fearsome aura that Donald had (like Marshal)  in Steyn's case was not quite to the same extent....
Some things are just based on qualitative / subjective observations

As highly as I rate Steyn and his record is phenomenal i like KP would take Donald over him as the best from South Africa.

It's strange, as an England fan, I never really feared Steyn in the same way I did some other bowlers I've seen England face over the years. Not sure on the stats, but his record against England was maybe not incredible, or maybe it was but England always seemed to do well against SA despite his record?

Final point to make is, I was surprised to see this thread as I genuinely thought he'd retired about 2 years ago!

Steyn's record against England is his weakest against any Test nation. He still averaged 31.62 at a strike rate of 55.2 though. He was carrying an injury I believe in 2008 (the series that ended the Vaughan captaincy) but still played the Lords and Leeds Tests and played all three Tests in 2012 (the series that ended the Strauss captaincy).

When you factor in much of Steyn's career being in a period when Test batting averages were high his record is spectacular.

I adored watching Donald play for SA and Warwickshire but for me Steyn is that tiny bit better.