South African fast bowler Dale Steyn, who has been out of the ground due to injury has decided to retire from Test cricket. Steyn told the South African Cricket Association that it is goodbye to the oldest format of cricket on Monday. However, Steyn will continue to play ODI and T20 cricket.
Steyn, 36 years old , is South Africa’s most successful bowler. The player, who played Test cricket for his country for 16 years, took 438 wickets in 93 Tests. ‘SteynGun’ who made his debut in December 2004 against England at Port Elizabeth, also played his last Test match (February 2019 vs Sri Lanka) at the same venue.
South Africa’s performance in the World Cup 2019 was very disappointing. One reason for this was Dale Steyn, who was ruled out of the tournament without playing a single match due to a shoulder injury, had also played only 2 matches in IPL 2019, where he also took four wickets for Virat Kohli-led RCB.
In the last few years, two great South African players retired from cricket. In 2018, AB De Villiers had said goodbye to the game, now Steyn also called Test cricket bye-bye. 36-year-old Steyn had undergone shoulder surgery in 2016, but he was unable to heal completely.
On Sunday, Steyn was awarded the Southwest African cricket’s ‘Streetwish Award’. Steyn wrote in the letter to Cricket South Africa, “Today I am getting separated from the format of cricket which has the most love. I believe that Test cricket is the best version of the game. Tests you mentally, physically and emotionally. Thinking about playing a test again is bad, but it is more painful to play. That’s why I will concentrate on ODI and T20.”