We are back with another article where we will take 2 of the best players from that nation who have had the same skills and in the article we will compare Shaun Pollock vs Dale Steyn to see who is the greatest fast bowler to ever play for South Africa. These 2 are the best that South Africa have seen and Makhaya Ntini is just behind them. I have seen both of them play and this will be a good one.
Shaun Pollock was the original fast bowler that was seen by South Africa and he was a great servant for South African cricket for a number of years and then Dale Steyn came along and he took what Shaun Pollock to another level especially in one format of the game. So, let’s compare the stats and see who is the best.
Shaun Pollock
Shaun Pollock is the fast bowler with the highest wickets in international cricket and he is the number 1. Shaun Pollock has had a great international career spanning more than a decade and he was the main threat for South Africa when he was playing around. A few people might say that Allan Donald should have been here as well but for me these 2 are the best. Shaun Pollock will forever be an all time great.
Test Cricket
Shaun Pollock played 108 Test Matches for South Africa and he took 421 Test wickets in his glorious test career. He took 16 Five wicket hauls and 1 time he has taken 10 wickets in a test match. He had a bowling average of 23.12 in his career which is very good. Not only that he was also a very good lower order batter as he made 3781 runs at an average of 32.32. He has made 16 Test half centuries and 2 Test hundreds. A proper all rounder.
ODI Cricket
Shaun Pollock played 303 ODIs for South Africa in his long career and in those Matches he took 393 ODI Wickets which is also one of the highest for a South African fast bowler. He has taken 5 Five wicket hauls in ODIs at a bowling average of 24.51. Shaun Pollock was a great batter in ODIs as well as he scored 3519 runs at an average of 26.46 . He has made 14 Half centuries and 1 ODI hundred as well. He took a total of 814 international Wickets and more than 7000+ international runs.
Dale Steyn
Dale Steyn was the most complete fast bowler that I have seen play in my life. His action was so smooth and he was the fastest in the world. Dale Steyn was loved by everyone and he had the knack of picking Wickets everywhere he played as he was able to adapt to any conditions. Especially in test cricket he was on another level. Hopefully he could have played on for more Matches.
Test Cricket
The forest where Dale Steyn was the most successful was test cricket and there was no match for him when he was bowling and only James Anderson gave him competition. Dale Steyn played 93 Test Matches for South Africa and he picked a whopping 439 Test Wickets for South Africa and he was ruthless against every opposition. He took 26 Five wicket hauls and 5 times he took 10 Wickets In a test match. He has a great bowling average of 22.95.
Check here Best bowling Performances of Dale Steyn in Test Cricket
ODI Cricket
Dale Steyn was not as successful in this format as he was in test cricket and he will be the first one to acknowledge this. Still Dale Steyn played 125 Matches and in those Matches he took 196 Wickets in ODIs. He has taken 3 Five wicket hauls in ODIs and he had a bowling average of 25.95 throughout his career.
Also Read | Dale Steyn vs James Anderson - Stats Comparison as Fast Bowler
Who is the greatest?
In Test Cricket it is very close as both have taken almost the same number of wickets but Dale Steyn has taken 18 more wickets while playing 15 Matches less so the edge in test cricket will go to Dale Steyn. In ODIs the clear edge goes to Shaun Pollock because he has taken almost 200 more wickets than Dale Steyn in ODIs so in this format Shaun Pollock is the clear best.
Also Read: Glenn McGrath vs Dale Steyn - Stats Comparison as Fast Bowler
