South Africau00c3u00a2u00c2u0080u00c2u0099s highest Test wicket-taker retires from longest format with a heavy heart
South African pace ace Dale Steyn (top) celebrates the dismissal of Pakistan's Fakhar Zaman with teammates during the Centurion Test last year. Pic/ AFP
African Dale Steyn, one of the great fast bowlers of the modern era, yesterday announced his retirement from Test cricket in a bid to extend his longevity in the shorter forms of the game.
ADVERTISEMENT
Steyn, who made his international debut against England in 2004 and last played a Test in February against Sri Lanka, is still contracted in the white-ball form of the game for the 2019-20 season and therefore remains available for South Africa in one-day internationals and T20s.
"Today I walk away from a format of the game I love so much," said Steyn, 36, his country's leading Test wicket-taker of all time and one of the top 10 in the history of the game.
"In my opinion Test cricket is the best version of this game. It tests you mentally, physically, emotionally. It's terrible to consider never playing another Test again but what's more terrifying is the thought of never playing again at all.
"So I will be focusing on ODIs and T20s for the rest of my career to maximise my full potential and ensure my longevity in this sport... I look forward to continuing to play for the Proteas in the shorter formats."
Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive Thabang Moroe hailed Steyn as "undoubtedly one of the all-time greats of cricket". "He has been one of the standout fast bowlers in world cricket. He has led the South African attack brilliantly and has set the standard for our future generations to follow," said a "saddened" Moroe.
"More than that he has been a wonderful mentor to our next generation of speedsters."
439
No. of Test wickets for Dale Steyn in 93 matches
Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
