GGOATRANK
🇿🇦
Cricket · Fast bowler · South Africa

Dale Steyn

2004–2021 · South Africa's leading Test wicket taker with 439 scalps at 22.9.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
83.6
Cultural & brand footprint 52/100 · total legacy 77.9
Test wickets
439
Test matches
93
Test bowling average
23.0
Five-wicket hauls
26
ODI wickets
196

Category profile

Dominance
88
Peak
92
Longevity
82
Honours
82
Statistics
92

Career timeline · Centuries per year

SeasonCenturies per yearShare of career
20058
200620
200778
200874
200947
201060
201142
201237
201332
201422
201512
20166
20171

Data sources

  • ESPNcricinfo
  • ICC
  • Cricket Archive

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Dale Steyn ranks #35 in Cricket

Dale Steyn ranks 35th among Cricket athletes on GOAT Rank and 335th of 1063 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 87.0 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 88, Peak 92, Longevity 82, Honours 82, Statistics 92. Those categories are normalised against the full Cricket reference universe of 294 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 2004–2021 with 13 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 2007, which sets the Peak component at 92. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 92 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes test wickets 439, test matches 93, test bowling average 22.95, five-wicket hauls 26.

Immediately ahead sits Anil Kumble on 85.9, a gap of -1.1 points. Directly behind is Richard Hadlee on 87.0. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Dale Steyn GOAT Score explained

Dominance88/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Steyn stood above the field while competing. Scored 88/100 against the full Cricket cohort.
Peak92/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 2007. Scored 92/100.
Longevity82/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 17 years of competition and 13 recorded seasons. Scored 82/100.
Honours82/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 82/100.
Statistics92/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 92/100.

Dale Steyn — frequently asked

Is Dale Steyn the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Dale Steyn ranks 35th in Cricket with a GOAT Score of 87.0, behind Sachin Tendulkar on 94.4.
What is Dale Steyn's GOAT Score?
87.0 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 88 (25%), Peak 92 (20%), Longevity 82 (20%), Honours 82 (20%), Statistics 92 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Dale Steyn rank all time?
335th of 1063 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 35th within Cricket.
Dale Steyn vs Anil Kumble: who ranks higher?
Dale Steyn, on 87.0 against Anil Kumble's 85.9 — a margin of 1.1 points.
Compare with Tendulkar