Dale Steyn Profile by CricketArchive

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Player:

DW Steyn

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DateLine: 5th December 2008

 

Dale Steyn's rise to national selection was rapid, being picked in the side for the first Test against England in December 2004 little more than a season after making his first-class debut. A genuinely fast, if slightly raw, bowler, who moves the ball away from right-handers, Steyn sprints to the wicket and hurls the ball down with aggression. At the highest level his lack of experience was exposed but there was enough to suggest that he could be a force to be reckoned with. Recalled to the Test side in April 2006, he responded with his first five-wicket haul, as New Zealand were routed in the first Test at Centurion. Finished the three-Test series with 16 wickets, and made a fine impression throughout. Took 3 for 129 in the first Test against Sri Lanka in July, and 5 for 82 in the first innings of the second match even as South Africa slumped to a 2-0 series whitewash. He was the dominant force behind South Africa's home series wins against New Zealand and West Indies, picking up 40 wickets in five Tests. He followed it up with 14 in two Tests on the tour of Bangladesh, picking up three consecutive Man-of the-Series awards. He also went past Allan Donald's record of the quickest South African to 100 Test wickets.