Is it too early to declare Dale Steyn as an all-time great?

[marc71178]

I personally wouldn't say any of those 3 examples are even close in Tests.

 

[Champ]

He's a special bowler.Has done well in most conditions.Got the best ever strike rate.Lot of people feel a bowler has to take something like 350+ to be considered as an ATG.I'd rather look at the quality than quantity & rate him as an ATG.

 

[pskov]

How many bowlers in history have been unquestionably the best bowler in the world for three years and are not considered an all time great?

 

[weldone]

I personally wouldn't say any of those 3 examples are even close in Tests.

But most cricket pundits do.

 

[Blaze 18]

How many bowlers in history have been unquestionably the best bowler in the world for three years and are not considered an all time great?

That depends on the quality of your peers; no ?

 

[pskov]

That depends on the quality of your peers; no ?

Yes of course, but it was a genuine question. Is there anyone who was generally considered the best bowler in the world for a reasonable length of time that looking back we wouldn't call an all-time great today?

 

[silentstriker]

You know a fast bowler is knocking on the cusp of being an all time great player when as a fan who supports the other team, your hope is that he is restricted to "only" a few wickets up front. When you want to close your eyes when he is steaming in and you're in a spot of bother, and you can't tell where the next partnership is coming. When your hope is that your team can score a few runs before getting that inevitable unplayable delivery.

Steyn is close to all of those. So yes, I would put him there.

 

[Black_Warrior]

You know a fast bowler is knocking on the cusp of being an all time great player when as a fan who supports the other team, your hope is that he is restricted to "only" a few wickets up front. When you want to close your eyes when he is steaming in and you're in a spot of bother, and you can't tell where the next partnership is coming. When your hope is that your team can score a few runs before getting that inevitable unplayable delivery.

Steyn is close to all of those. So yes, I would put him there.

I will say what I had said in the Waqar-Steyn thread.. Part of greatness if longevity. Federer is such a great player not because he dominates all the time but his ability to come back after being down. Throughout a career, you go through various highs and lows, best form, peak, best fitness, best pace, injuries, poor fitness, bad form, low pace, low confidence, fighting for your place, dropped, trying to make a comeback etc.Right now Steyn, as awesome as he is has not had the decline yet, the major injury yet, the major dip in fitness/pace yet. Every fast bowler goes through that and Steyn will as well. I am also sure that he has the ability to come back after that injury and be a strike bowler. But I will wait for him to do that before I classify him as a great. Right now, he is just awesome, beyond awesome.

 

[smash84]

A few things stick out from his record that make him remarkable. The first is his strikerate which is far ahead of any bowler aside from Waqar in the modern era (and Waqar's is not that exceptional when you remove Bangladesh and Zimbabwe).

I don't recall Waqar playing too many tests against Bangladesh.............

 

[Days of Grace]

Dale Styen is the best fast bowler I have seen in a long time, barring Shane Bond, who was never on the park enough anyway.

 

[smash84]

Dale Styen is the best fast bowler I have seen in a long time, barring Shane Bond, who was never on the park enough anyway.

Bond was pretty good, so was the match-fixer (Asif). The guy had phenomenal talent. Could have been a McGrath type bowler with the swinging ability of Wasim Akram....sigh

 

[kingkallis]

I don't recall Waqar playing too many tests against Bangladesh.............

But he killed Zimbabwe. He was the captain at that time and took 10fers regularly against them.

 

[smash84]

But he killed Zimbabwe. He was the captain at that time and took 10fers regularly against them.

Against India (only played 4 matches) and Australia (SR of 62.7 which is not too bad) is his strike rate somewhat higher other than that his SR is phenomenal against pretty much all opposition. So his overall SR being lower than others is never in contention really IMO.

Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[Black_Warrior]

But he killed Zimbabwe. He was the captain at that time and took 10fers regularly against them.

But that Zimbabwe side of 2002 was pretty good.. They might even be better than current WI, New Zealand and Pakistan test sides.. and we dont discount Steyn's record against these three sides now.

 

[smash84]

But that Zimbabwe side of 2002 was pretty good.. They might even be better than current WI, New Zealand and Pakistan test sides.. and we dont discount Steyn's record against these three sides now.

Anything against Zimbabwe is usually discounted (quite rightly so IMO). But you might have a point that WI of today is almost as bad (if not worse than the Zim of that time)

 

[Black_Warrior]

I see...

Well thats problematifc..because I am pretty confident the Zimbabwe of 2002 with Andy Flower, Grant Flower, Blignaut, Carlisle, Goodwin would beat current WI, Pakistan and New Zealand..at least at home.

 

[Teja.]

I see...

Well thats problematifc..because I am pretty confident the Zimbabwe of 2002 with Andy Flower, Grant Flower, Blignaut, Carlisle, Goodwin would beat current WI, Pakistan and New Zealand..at least at home.

Heath Streak was so so good.

 

[weldone]

Zimbabwe was ceratinly non-minnow for almost 10 years...

Minnow is something outright pathetic, that usually gets test status by mistake, and almost never threatens to even draw a test match against a non-minnow.

 

[smash84]

Zimbabwe was ceratinly non-minnow for almost 10 years...

Minnow is something outright pathetic, that usually gets test status by mistake, and almost never threatens to even draw a test match against a non-minnow.

yes and Zim has been the definition of minnowness other than that 10 year period.

 

[Athlai]

There are signs that things are working in Zimbabwe cricket to see the team rise again.