Dale Steyn announces Retirement from Test Cricket

South African speedster Dale Steyn announced retirement from Test cricket on Monday (August 5).

He was emotional on his decision which seemed forceful due to his injuries. According to Steyn Test cricket was the best form of cricket and it was hard for him to take the decision as he loved the game so much.

“Today I walk away from a format of the game I love so much. In my opinion Test cricket is the best version of this game. It tests you mentally, physically, emotionally,” an emotional Steyn told ANI.

Not playing cricket again was a “terrifying” thought according to the 36 year old South African cricketer and he will hence continue to play in One Day Internationals and T20 Internationals to maximise his cricketing career.

“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”, Steyn said.

Dale Steyn is regarded as one of the best bowlers of his generation. He played 93 test matches for South Africa in a career that lasted 15 years. He picked up 439 wickets during that period at an average of 22.95 and a strike rate of 42.39.

He also has the most number of wickets in Asia for a non-Asian pacer (92 wickets in 22 Tests).

Steyn was the awarded the prestigious ICC Test Cricketer of the Year for the year 2008. He was later named as the Wisden leading cricketer for the year 2013 in 2014 Wisden Cricketer’s Almanack.

Steyn also dominated as the No. 1 ranked bowler in the ICC bowler rankings for Test matches. He held the position for a record 263 weeks between 2008 and 2014.

Steyn, who could consistently bowl at around 150 kmph mark, had his career hampered by injuries. He was picked for the squad in the recent ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, but could not make contributions as he would have liked due to injury. It is understood that his fitness is the main reason for him to retire from Test cricket.