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Former South African pacer Dale Steyn is celebrating his 42nd birthday on June 27, 2025. He is regarded by many as the greatest bowler of the modern era. Steyn's ability to produce late swing at high pace which is a rare and lethal combination amongst fast bowlers made him stand apart from many of his contemporaries. Many cricketing legends have regarded his length deliveries unplayable when the ball swung.
Dale Steyn has played for South Africa from 2004 to 2020 in his international career. In these 16 years, Steyn has played 93 Tests, 125 ODIs, 47 T20s for South Africa taking 699 wickets in all three formats. Steyn dominated the number one spot in the ICC Test rankings at the peak of his career, for a record 263 weeks between 2008 and 2014. He also was included in the ICC Test Team of the Decade at the end of 2020.
On 5 August 2019, Steyn announced his retirement from Test cricket to focus on limited-overs cricket. Steyn announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on 31st August 2021.
Dale Steyn Career Records
Dale Steyn was a masterclass in all formats of the game, pushing himself to be the best everyday and achieving what bowlers couldn't even think of. In Test cricket he played 93 matches for South Africa and claimed 439 wickets at an average under 23, becoming the first South African to reach 400 Test wickets and holding the record for the longest stint as the world’s No. 1 Test bowler. In ODIs he took 196 wickets in 125 games turning the game around on his own.
In T20s he managed to clinch 64 wickets in 47 matches with outstanding figures and minimal economy, Dale Steyn was truly world class for the Proteas. There are not many bowlers in world cricket who can clock 150 kmph consistently and South African fast bowler Dale Steyn is surely among them. His Fiery aggression and marvelous spells will forever be cherished by cricket lovers all around the world.
