Dale Steyn Waits to Join the Elite 400 Club !! - Muralitharan on Top by All Means

Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Anil Kumble, Glen McGrath, Courtney Walsh, Kapil Dev, Richard Hadlee, Shaun Pollock, Harbhajan Singh, Wasim Akram, James Anderson and Curtly Ambrose. -   Another man was closer but now will have to wait for a few more days at least… no prizes for guessing – it is the elite 400 club in Test Cricket.  Murali stands on top with 800; Warne (708); Kumble 619; Kapil 434; Interestingly, none of the eight tests  between South Africa and Bangladesh before this one had gone to a fifth day, and this one didn't  albeit different reasons.   Bangladesh on a roll following One day victories over visiting teams, pinned South Africa and the score card reads : South Africa 61 for 0 (Van Zyl 33*, Elgar 28*) & 248 (Bavuma 54, Mustafizur 4-37) l drew with Bangladesh 326 (Mahmudullah 67, Steyn 3-78) Perhaps the Board should take the flak for the timing of the match – the  monsoon rains, which had washed out the fourth day ensured the fifth met the same fate and poured a wet blanket over what was set up for an intriguing finale.  Bangla can have pride in having a 17 run lead. One from South Africa is ruing the fate – it is Dale Steyn  left waiting for his 400th Test wicket having claimed Mustafizur Rahman as victim 399 on Thursday.  The fierce pacer now has 399 from 79 tests /148 innings at an average of 22.58 and best of 7/51 – add another 162 ODI wickets in 104 matches. 

At a time, when I developed interest in the game, Lance Gibbs took the mantle from Fred Trueman in Dec 1981 becoming the 2^nd bowler to take 300 wickets.  Dennis Lillee retired with 355 scalps, broken by Ian Botham’s 373… then at Bangalore in Nov 1988, the first ball of the third over, Hadlee had Arunlal caught in the slips by Chris Kuggeleijn to surpass Botham.  Hadlee stopped at 431 becoming the 1^st to cross 400 barrier.  In Feb 1994, the greatest allrounder of India, Kapil Dev  dismissed Hashan Tillakaratne caught at forward short-leg by Sanjay Manjrekar to reach wicket No 432. By then people were braying for his blood and he played just one more test thereafter.  That was to be broken by Walsh 519, Warne 708 and topped by Murali with 800 – which perhaps will remain unsurpassed for a long long time.
Muralitharan is also the fastest to the 400 club having achieved it in 72 tests; while the 2^nd, Hadlee took 80 tests.  Steyn has played 79 tests and is all set to equal Hadlee.  In One dayers, it is again Murali at the top with 534 in 350 matches; followed by Wasim Akram 502, Waqar Younis 416 and Chaminda Vaas 400.  Shahid Afridi missed it narrowly finishing at 395 in 398 matches.   Afridi is still hoping to play World T20 WC – he retired from Test Cricket in 2020 and bowed out of ODI following Pak’s QF defeat in WC in 2015 at Australia.
The 2^nd Test between Bangladesh and South Africa begins at Dhaka on 30^th July and sure Steyn would be waiting for that …
With regards – S Sampathkumar
25^th July 2015.