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Is Dale Steyn the worst ever best fast bowler in the world?

99*

International Debutant
Indeed.

Have to say that from the time I've been watching it's hard to recall a player who was (by consensus rather than ranking) regarded as the best who was such a (relatively) minor talent.

Still slightly agnostic about Steyn, I have to say, mainly based around him being mediocre against England.

Nice to have someone other than this man:



to share a first name with tho.
OT but someone said you'd most likely want to join in a rugby union draft, it's in the sports forum if you want in.
 

TT Boy

Hall of Fame Member
When was the last time we had such an 'ordinary' (comparatively of course) best fast bowler? It's pretty clear he is the best and no one would dispute he's a superb player but is he only the best because of the lack of great bowlers going around currently? Compared to others in recent times he does come up a bit short and one wonders as well if Bond and Asif were still playing would he even have the title?
Brett Lee last year. End of thread.
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
Massive lol.
Well it's a hell of post to try to respond to, but I'll have a bash anyway.

I'm old fashioned enough to trust the evidence of my eyes more than brute statistics. People dismiss Lee "averages 30+, so can't be any good", but until this winter he'd been carrying the Australian attack since McWarne had gone. He'd added accuracy to his pace and hostility to become a more complete bowler. It looks like his peak may be a brief one, but I don't think it being greater than Steyn's peak is such a unreasonable contention.
 

_Ed_

Request Your Custom Title Now!
It looks like his peak may be a brief one, but I don't think it being greater than Steyn's peak is such a unreasonable contention.
Absolutely. I'm not sure I agree with it, but it's far from unreasonable.
 

TT Boy

Hall of Fame Member
Absolutely. I'm not sure I agree with it, but it's far from unreasonable.
One contention with Lee's peak is that it occurred all at home or when away just in the Windies....Steyn, England aside has taken bundles of wickets everywhere, Lee hasn’t.
 

sammy2

Banned
Glen was not a better bowler than walsh and ambrose, the only time he went atop the best bowler rankings was after both walsh and ambrose stopped playing. Glen mcgrath only had one trick which was to bowl solely on half stump. In the days when batsmen were patient he could not survive. This is why today more people talk about ambrose than they talk about glen. The W.I pair had much more to offer than just accuracy. Walsh and Ambrose were able to reverse swing the new ball, they produced bounce, and bowled fast. They are true legends of fast bowling, bowlers who created chances instead of waiting for mistakes.
 

0RI0N

State 12th Man
Which other current fast bowlers do you guys rate as better or equal to steyn? Could've been a better thread guys? y/n?

'Worst ever best fast bowler.' op that a mad heading for a thread.just saying.dont cry and insult
 

dontcloseyoureyes

BARNES OUT
Glen was not a better bowler than walsh and ambrose, the only time he went atop the best bowler rankings was after both walsh and ambrose stopped playing. Glen mcgrath only had one trick which was to bowl solely on half stump. In the days when batsmen were patient he could not survive. This is why today more people talk about ambrose than they talk about glen. The W.I pair had much more to offer than just accuracy. Walsh and Ambrose were able to reverse swing the new ball, they produced bounce, and bowled fast. They are true legends of fast bowling, bowlers who created chances instead of waiting for mistakes.
reactionface.jpg
 

sammy2

Banned
Which other current fast bowlers do you guys rate as better or equal to steyn? Could've been a better thread guys? y/n?

'Worst ever best fast bowler.' op that a mad heading for a thread.just saying.dont cry and insult
Taylor, Jerome. Styen is a bowler who isn't capable of reinventing himself in an annings that wasn't showing alot of good results for him. If you play him well, he won't get back up or improve himself. This is why sanga and Jay made an extremely huge partnership against SA.
 

TT Boy

Hall of Fame Member
Taylor, Jerome. Styen is a bowler who isn't capable of reinventing himself in an annings that wasn't showing alot of good results for him. If you play him well, he won't get back up or improve himself. This is why sanga and Jay made an extremely huge partnership against SA.
Remember when Marlon Samuels was playing really well against South Africa and Steyn took the ball late in the day and promptly manshamed Marlon by bowling him inside out?
 

Jigga988

State 12th Man
Remember when Marlon Samuels was playing really well against South Africa and Steyn took the ball late in the day and promptly manshamed Marlon by bowling him inside out?
No, Jerome Taylor isn't better than Steyn and is unlikely to ever be better than Steyn, but that's a bit of a ridiculous argument isn't it, how many runs did Samuels make in that series? Just because Steyn can bowl him out after he reached three figures or after at least a fifty doesn't meen the guy is all of a sudden some great re-inventive bowler, why couldn't he have bowled him inside out when Samuels was just coming in to the crease?

The only reason why the Saffies won that test series was due to good middle/lower order batting and Windies not being able to close out the game... Steyn didn't really have anything to do with it tbh, at least as far as I remember cbb to check stats.

Btw, regarding the thread I think in 07 Lee was quality and a handful to face, pace mixed with accuracy and swing was a deadly combo, Steyn I don't think has peaked yet, can often be too wide and look ineffective for one spell and then be a world beater the next, wouldn't be very high on the list of all time fast bolwers thats for certain. Needs to gain accuracy before he can be regarded as a great of the game.
 

sammy2

Banned
Remember when Marlon Samuels was playing really well against South Africa and Steyn took the ball late in the day and promptly manshamed Marlon by bowling him inside out?
Really ? I actually remember samuels improving his avg there. But steyn bowling a yorker isn't much of improvement. They are his best balls, His hype will go down very soon. He doesn't even know how bowl a good off stump line and lenght. He is only a danger on middle stump with that swing anything is possible. But if players figure him out, he is finish.
 

sammy2

Banned
No, Jerome Taylor isn't better than Steyn and is unlikely to ever be better than Steyn, but that's a bit of a ridiculous argument isn't it, how many runs did Samuels make in that series? Just because Steyn can bowl him out after he reached three figures or after at least a fifty doesn't meen the guy is all of a sudden some great re-inventive bowler, why couldn't he have bowled him inside out when Samuels was just coming in to the crease?

The only reason why the Saffies won that test series was due to good middle/lower order batting and Windies not being able to close out the game... Steyn didn't really have anything to do with it tbh, at least as far as I remember cbb to check stats.

Btw, regarding the thread I think in 07 Lee was quality and a handful to face, pace mixed with accuracy and swing was a deadly combo, Steyn I don't think has peaked yet, can often be too wide and look ineffective for one spell and then be a world beater the next, wouldn't be very high on the list of all time fast bolwers thats for certain. Needs to gain accuracy before he can be regarded as a great of the game.
Are you crazy ? Will never be better ? you don't know raw talent, without steyn pace, he wouldn't be playing for SA.
 

TT Boy

Hall of Fame Member
Really ? I actually remember samuels improving his avg there. But steyn bowling a yorker isn't much of improvement. They are his best balls, His hype will go down very soon. He doesn't even know how bowl a good off stump line and lenght. He is only a danger on middle stump with that swing anything is possible. But if players figure him out, he is finish.
Test match, Samuels on big score, Steyn pitches one of leg and knocks Marlon's off-stump out of the ground.
 

TT Boy

Hall of Fame Member
Are you crazy ? Will never be better ? you don't know raw talent, without steyn pace, he wouldn't be playing for SA.
That is pretty funny considering Steyn took a bundle in one test against the Windies bowling medium pace of a few yards.
 

TT Boy

Hall of Fame Member
No, Jerome Taylor isn't better than Steyn and is unlikely to ever be better than Steyn, but that's a bit of a ridiculous argument isn't it, how many runs did Samuels make in that series? Just because Steyn can bowl him out after he reached three figures or after at least a fifty doesn't meen the guy is all of a sudden some great re-inventive bowler, why couldn't he have bowled him inside out when Samuels was just coming in to the crease?

The only reason why the Saffies won that test series was due to good middle/lower order batting and Windies not being able to close out the game... Steyn didn't really have anything to do with it tbh, at least as far as I remember cbb to check stats.

Btw, regarding the thread I think in 07 Lee was quality and a handful to face, pace mixed with accuracy and swing was a deadly combo, Steyn I don't think has peaked yet, can often be too wide and look ineffective for one spell and then be a world beater the next, wouldn't be very high on the list of all time fast bolwers thats for certain. Needs to gain accuracy before he can be regarded as a great of the game.
I think you should...
 

sammy2

Banned
That is pretty funny considering Steyn took a bundle in one test against the Windies bowling medium pace of a few yards.
Against which WI team ? The one without gayle and sarwan ? I don't remember that, but okay. I hope WI plays SA soon again.
You remember taylor making SA bleeding at 12 for six ? and he did this with two overs ? I hope you remember.
 

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