Steyn achieved the feat on the opening day of the first Sunfoil Test match against Sri Lanka at SuperSport Park on Thursday. He was playing in his 49th Test match and only Australian legend Dennis Lillee has got to that mark ahead of him in 48 Test matches.
"It is a magnificent achievement by Dale," commented CSA CEO Gerald Majola. "If one considers that he took 13 matches to take his first 50 wickets it means that he has taken 200 wickets in his last 36 games. He has, in fact, been averaging 50 wickets per 10 matches played over the last few years which is a phenomenal achievement.
"Dale is also one of only four bowlers ever to have a career strike rate below 30 and the only one to do so who has taken more than 200 wickets.
"It can only be a matter of time before he becomes the fourth South African to join the 300 wickets club alongside Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini and it is a reminder of how fortunate we have been to have this quartet leading our bowling attack in the 20 years since we rejoined the international cricket community.
"It has also been highly encouraging to see the way Vernon Philander has started his Test career with five-wicket hauls in all of his first three matches. He is one of only five bowlers to achieve this feat in the history of the game and the first for some 30 years."
Majola hails Steyn's 250-wicket achievement
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