When Steyn scalped Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal early on the first morning of the second Test in Dhaka, he not only reached the 400-wicket club but became the joint-second fastest to the landmark, in just 80 matches. He joined the legendary Sir Richard Hadlee of New Zealand at second spot, just below Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan who took just 72 matches for the feat.
Steyn also became only the second South African bowler to reach the mark after Shaun Pollock, who leads the wicket column for his country with 421 in 108 matches. Steyn has been the main wicket-taker for the South African Test team ever since Makhaya Ntini retired in 2009 after taking 390 wickets in 101 matches. And since 2010, Steyn hasn't miss a single Test match for South Africa, featuring in 46 matches played including the current Test against Bangladesh, which established his status as the team's premier bowler.
Steyn formed a deadly combo with tall Morne Morkel, who made his debut two years after him, and so far taken 218 wickets in 64 Test matches.*
But it was not at all a smooth ride for Steyn when he started his career as a fast bowler for South Africa, which has prided itself on producing world-class pacers down the years. Steyn got his calling when England toured South Africa for a five-Test series in December 2004, but his initiation to international cricket was shaky at best. He managed 2/117 in 25.5 overs in his debut inning and followed it up with 1/29 from six overs as the hosts lost to England by seven wickets at Port Elizabeth. The next Test in Durban ended in a draw with Steyn producing another average performance of 3/148.
He couldn't retain his place in the playing XI for the next game which South Africa won, but was included for the fourth Test, taking 2/122 in defeat. Steyn was then out of the Test side for more than a year.
During this period he missed out on four Test series - one with Zimbabwe, one with West Indies and two with Australia. South Africa comfortably beat Zimbabwe 2-0 and West Indies 2-0 but their debacle against Australia both away and at home opened up another opportunity for Steyn. South Africa were beaten 2-0 in a three-match series in Australia and at home they were whitewashed 3-0.
Finally, Steyn was recalled for the home series against New Zealand in April 2006 and he grabbed the chances with both hands, taking 16 wickets, including his first five-wicket haul (5/47) to help the hosts win the three-match series 2-0. He became a regular in the Proteas side after that series and featured in the 13 Test matches out of the 20 they played in the next two years, taking 68 wickets.
Steyn's real breakthrough, however, came in 2008 when he played 13 of 15 Test matches and took an impressive 74 wickets in the calendar year, helping South Africa to 10 victories and two draws.
After a lull in 2009, which saw the retirement of Ntini, Steyn established himself as the pace spearhead of the Test side. And, as the saying goes, the rest is history. Steyn has not missed a Test since 2010 and is now one of only three active bowlers, along with Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh and English pacer James Anderson, with 400 or more wickets in Tests.
Smart stats
+ Since Steyn made his debut on 17 December 2004, South Africa have played 100 Tests* and registered 50 wins and lost 25 games.
+ With Steyn in the team, they registered 42 victories in 79 games and lost 18 times.
+ Steyn's career stats - 80 matches*, 402 wickets, 22.48 average, 3.24 economy rate, 41.5 strike rate.
* including the current Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka
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