Dale Steyn by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:

DW Steyn

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DateLine: 17th April 2009

 

A genuinely fast, if slightly raw, bowler, who moves the ball away from right-handers, Steyn is now 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.

 

He had a good stint with Warwickshire in 2007, topping the wickets table in the limited overs games with 16 wickets. 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. In September 2008, Steyn was named the ICC's Test Player of the Year, taking 86 wickets at an average of just 18.10 in the 14 Test matches he played during the period in consideration. He capped off a remarkable 2008, during which he finished as the leading Test wicket-taker, with a Man-of-the-Match performance - ten wickets and an equally-vital first-innings 76 - in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, helping South Africa to an unassailable 2-0 lead and their first Test series triumph in Australia.