Dale Willem Steyn (/?ste?n/; born 27 June 1983) is a professional cricketer who plays for the South African Cricket Team. He is regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. During the 2007/08 season Steyn achieved a tally of 78 wickets at an average of 16.24, and was subsequently rewarded with the ICC 2008 Test Cricketer of the Year Award. He was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2013, and Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for the year 2013 in 2014’s Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.
Steyn dominated the number one spot in the ICC Test rankings during the peak of his career, for a record 263 weeks between 2008 and 2014. Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan sits next on the list with 214 weeks. In terms of days, Steyn has spent 2,356 days at the top as of 6 October 2016, the most by any bowler since World War II.[citation needed] In October 2012, former South African test cricketer Allan Donald called the South African pace attack, which Steyn was part of, alongside Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel, the best South Africa has ever produced. Steyn played a cameo as himself in the 2014 Hollywood film Blended.[10] In December 2018, during the first Test against Pakistan, Steyn became the leading wicket taker for South Africa in Test cricket, previously held by all-rounder and former-captain Shaun Pollock.[11][12]
On 5 August 2019, Steyn announced his retirement from Test cricket, [13] to focus on limited-overs cricket.[14]
Steyn grew up in the small town of Phalaborwa on the border of the world-famous wildlife haven, the Kruger National Park. Active and energetic, Steyn was naturally drawn to sports. His love of being outdoors led him also to more solitary activities such as bass fishing and skateboarding. Steyn began playing cricket when he was around 11 years old and he received a Hansie Cronje cricket set as a Christmas gift. Family games on the lawn soon led to a place in the school cricket team. During his high school years at Merensky High School in the town of Tzaneen, Steyn had exceptional pace and a raw talent, but a career in cricket didn’t seem possible. "When you live in a small town and there is just a handful of players, it doesn’t really count that you may be the cream of the crop," Steyn comments "People might say you’re destined for great things. But when you’re in a small town, what are the chances?"
