List of international cricket five-wicket hauls by Dale Steyn

A man in South Africa Test cricket uniform, wearing a green cap and a pair of sunglasses, standing in the field
Steyn has taken 26 five-wicket hauls in Test cricket.[1]

Dale Steyn, a South African cricketer, has taken 29 five-wicket hauls in international cricket.[2][3] In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer"[4]) refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded as a notable achievement,[5] and only 42 bowlers have taken at least 15 five-wicket hauls at international level in their cricketing careers.[3] A right-arm fast bowler, Steyn reached 300 Test wickets in fewer matches than any other South African bowler.[6] He was named the ICC's Test Player of the Year in 2008, and the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack named him one of their cricketers of the year in 2013.[7]

Steyn made his Test debut in 2004 against England at the St George's Oval, Port Elizabeth.[8] His first Test five-wicket haul came in 2006, against New Zealand at the SuperSport Park, Centurion.[9] In November 2007 against the same team at the Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, he took a five-wicket haul in both innings of a Test match for the first time.[10] He has repeated this feat twice more: against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2008,[11] and Pakistan at the Wanderers Stadium in 2013.[12] Steyn's career-best figures for an innings are 7 wickets for 51 runs against India at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur, in February 2010.[13] He has taken ten or more wickets in a match on five occasions.[14] As of 2015, he has taken the most number five-wicket hauls for South Africa.[1]

Steyn made his One Day International (ODI) debut for the African XI in the first match of the 2005 Afro-Asia Cup, against the Asian XI at the SuperSport Park, Centurion.[15] His first ODI five-wicket haul came during the 2011 Cricket World Cup, against India, a match which South Africa won at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.[16] His career-best bowling in ODI cricket is 6 wickets for 39 runs against Pakistan at the St George's Park, Port Elizabeth, in November 2013.[17]

Making his first Twenty20 International (T20I) appearance in 2006, Steyn has yet to take a five-wicket haul in the format.[18] His best performance in T20I is 4 wickets for 9 runs, against the West Indies at the St George's Oval, in December 2007.[19] As of 2015, he is joint eighth—with Harbhajan Singh—overall among all-time combined five-wicket haul takers.[3]

  1. ^ a b "Records – Test matches – Bowling records – Most five-wickets-in-an-innings in a career". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  2. ^ "Dale Steyn". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  3. ^ a b c "Records – Combined Test, ODI and T20I records – Bowling records – Most five-wickets-in-an-innings in a career". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  4. ^ "Swinging it for the Auld Enemy – An interview with Ryan Sidebottom". The Scotsman. 17 August 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2013. ... I'd rather take fifers (five wickets) for England ...
  5. ^ Pervez, M. A. (2001). A Dictionary of Cricket. Orient Blackswan. p. 31. ISBN 978-81-7370-184-9. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  6. ^ "Records/Test matches/Bowling records/Fastest to 300 wickets". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  7. ^ Vice, Telford (11 May 2013). Wisden Cricketers of the Year 2013–Dale Steyn. ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 23 July 2013. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  8. ^ "England tour of South Africa Test Series, 2004/05 – 1st Test". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  9. ^ "New Zealand tour of South Africa, 2005/06 – 1st Test". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  10. ^ "New Zealand tour of South Africa, 2007/08 – 1st Test". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  11. ^ "Australia tour of South Africa, 2008/09 – 1st Test". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  12. ^ "Pakistan tour of South Africa, 2012/13 – 1st Test". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  13. ^ "Statistics – Statsguru – Dale Steyn – Test matches". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  14. ^ "Test Matches: Bowling Records – Most ten-wickets-in-a-match in a career". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  15. ^ "Africa XI v Asia XI at Centurion, 17 August 2005 – 1st match". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  16. ^ "ICC Cricket World Cup, 2010/11 – 28th match, Group B". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  17. ^ "Pakistan tour of South Africa, 2013/14: ODI series – 2nd ODI". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  18. ^ "Statistics – Statsguru – Dale Steyn – Twenty20 Internationals". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  19. ^ "West Indies tour of South Africa, 2007/08 – 1st T20I". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 February 2013.