"I think he will" - Dale Steyn on the possibility of Kagiso Rabada becoming South Africa's highest Test wicket-taker
Former South African seamer Dale Steyn has backed Kagiso Rabada to overtake him as South Africa's highest wicket-taker in Tests.
Dale Steyn announced his retirement from all forms of the game a few days ago. He played his last international fixture in February 2020.
Steyn had surpassed Shaun Pollock's tally of 421 Test wickets in late 2018 by dismissing Fakhar Zaman. Overall, Steyn has 439 scalps at 22.95 apiece in 93 matches.
The former number one seamer could have had a lot more if not for his frequent injuries.
While Steyn showed confidence in Rabada's skill, he had doubts about how many Tests South Africa will get to play, given the COVID-19 situation.
"I think he will. More importantly, will South Africa, after Covid, play as many Test matches as we used to and allow him to get there? He probably will anyway, but if we do play a similar number of Tests then he definitely – fitness permitting," Steyn told in an interview with RNS Global Advisory.
Steyn added:
"He’s just a phenomenal athlete and a wicket-taking machine. So if Test cricket maintains its status and T20 cricket doesn’t continue its march to take over the calendar, then he will definitely take the record. There’s no question in my mind."
Rabada, who currently spearheads South Africa's attack, already has 213 wickets in 47 Tests at 22.75. The 26-year old has also topped the Test bowling rankings and is amongst the best bowlers in the world currently.
Jimmy is a machine and he's just got bowling down to a tee: Dale Steyn
Dale Steyn, who has faced comparisons and enjoyed a healthy rivalry with James Anderson, is impressed by the latter's longevity.
The 38-year old hailed the likes of Anderson and Imran Tahir for their passion and fitness levels even on the wrong side of 30.
"Jimmy is a machine and he’s just got bowling down to a tee. He’s just unbelievable how he keeps going and how he still wants to keep going during this period now. It’s just intense.
"He wants to keep performing and he’s fit, and he wants to prove that you can be 40, I suppose even 40-plus, and still do what you love doing at the very highest level. Imran Tahir is another great example of that."
Anderson and Steyn are arguably two of the best pace bowlers of their generation and have over 1000 wickets between them. The former also paid tribute to the South African when he retired.