Not Wasim Akram or Jasprit Bumrah: Dale Steyn picks his favourite bowling action
Mar 02, 2025
New Delhi [India], March 2 : Former right-arm speedster Dale Steyn chose South Africa's legendary quick Allan Donald's bowling action as his favourite.
The former South African quick was posed with tough choices as he contemplated his favourite bowling action. Most of the time, Steyn stuck with former Australian speedster Brett Lee.
In a video posted by ESPNcricinfo on X, Steyn preferred Lee's action even when he had to choose between Lee and Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram, Jasprit Bumrah or Zaheer Khan.
Steyn finally swayed away from his choice when he had to choose between Lee and Shane Bond. Steyn decided to go with the former New Zealand speedster, but his final choice was Donald.
Donald, known for his classic action and top-draw pace, was a world-class performer for South Africa from 1991 to 2003. Injuries plagued his twilight career, and he decided to bring the curtain down on his illustrious career after South Africa's exit from the 2003 World Cup.
In 75 Tests, Donald claimed 330 scalps at an average of 22.25 at a strike rate of 47.0. In 164 ODIs, Donald claimed a whopping 272 wickets at an average of 21.78.
Steyn also enjoyed a stellar career in South Africa's colours. In 93 Tests, the scorching pacer claimed 439 wickets at an average of 22.95 and an economy rate of 3.24. His best bowling figures in Tests is 7/51. He has taken 27 four-wicket hauls, 26 five-wicket hauls and five ten-wicket hauls in the longer format.
Steyn had the stronghold of the number one spot in the ICC Test rankings during his prime years for a record 263 weeks between 2008 and 2014. Steyn has represented Proteas in 125 ODIs, taking 196 wickets at an average of 25.95 and an economy rate of 4.87.
His best bowling figures in ODIs stand at 6/39. He has taken four four-wicket hauls and three five-wicket hauls in ODI cricket. He is the fifth-highest wicket-taker in ODIs for South Africa, with the top bowler being Shaun Pollock with 387 wickets.
He has also played 47 T20Is for Proteas. In these, he has taken 64 wickets at an average of 18.35 and an economy rate of 6.94. He has the best bowling figures of 4/9 in the format. He has a total of two four-wicket hauls in T20Is. Behind Tabraiz Shamsi (74 wickets), Steyn is the second-highest wicket-taker for South Africa in T20Is.
In 265 matches across all formats, he has taken 699 wickets at an average of 23.37 and an economy rate of 3.78, with best figures of 7/51. He boasts 29 five-wicket hauls and five ten-wicket hauls in international cricket. Behind Pollock (823 wickets), he is the second-highest wicket-taker for South Africa in international cricket.
