"Great batter and it hit the middle stump" - Dale Steyn names his first Test wicket as the best
A few hours after announcing his international retirement, South African legend Dale Steyn shed light on some notable moments in his illustrious career. Steyn retired as South Africa's highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, but injuries robbed him of more appearances.
Seventeen years after making his Test debut against England in Port Elizabeth, Steyn rehashed his maiden wicket. Although the right-arm speedster conceded plenty of runs in the innings, his wicket was a memorable one as opener Marcus Trescothick had his stumps shattered by a menacing inswinger.
Speaking to South Africa cricket magazine, Dale Steyn revealed he would always remember his first Test wicket as Trescothick's prized scalp. The 38-year-old stated he always preferred to strike the off-stump and recalled dismissing Michael Vaughan in a similar fashion. He elaborated:
"The one I’ll always remember is my first Test wicket, Marcus Trescothick. You can’t get it any better. Great batter and it hit the middle stump. Everyone’s like always, middle stump! I prefer to hit off stump… nipping away to the right-hander, top of off. I got Michael Vaughan out like that. I only wanted to take one wicket for South Africa and that’s why I remember the first one. It’s the one that really matters."
Sometimes I thought I was going to pop a vein: Dale Steyn on his celebrations
Dale Steyn also opened up on his wicket celebrations as he was known for sometimes letting out a roar. The former number one Test bowler sarcastically said he was fortunate not to injure himself by doing so.
"The celebrations? Sometimes I thought I was going to pop a vein. I think people were worried but the best thing is that I never got injured during a celebration which was great because I’d heard of other guys getting hurt. I’ve managed to get through 20 years of international cricket without hurting myself after taking a wicket," said Steyn.
Steyn played his last game for South Africa back in February of 2020, which was a T20I against Australia. Frequent injuries forced him to give up Test cricket in 2019. However, Steyn overtook Shaun Pollock as the country's highest wicket-taker in the format the very same year. Apart from 93 Tests, the veteran starred in 125 ODIs and 47 T20Is for his country.