But it is in wins that Steyn sets himself apart from his foremost equals among fast bowlers. South Africa have won more than half the Tests Steyn has played in. Steyn has 247 wickets in those 37 wins. Richard Hadlee comes close in the 22 Tests that New Zealand won when he played.
Statistically, Steyn is the greatest match winner of all time in my view. He hasn't had a steady partner at the other end. Vernon Philander's arrival has certainly helped. Morne Morkel has shared 26 Test wins with Steyn, in which the former has 96 wickets. In wins, Steyn's wickets have come at 16 apiece. But it is his strike rate which sets him apart from his peers - a wicket every 5 overs. No other fast bowler has more five wicket hauls in wins. The three spinners Muralitharan, Warne and Kumble have more, but their wickets have taken longer to come. If we exclude the minnows (Bangladesh and Zimbabwe), then a large chunk of Murali's 5 wickets hauls in wins (41!) are eliminated. He has a humane 24 five wicket hauls in 33 wins. But Steyn's record is undiminished. He still has 225 wickets in 33 wins at the rate of one wicket every 31.2 balls.
The great thing about Steyn, who is still only 30 years old, is that his bowling has evolved despite already phenomenal success early in his career. Steyn's Test career took off in his 14th Test when he took 10 wickets in the match against New Zealand at Wanderers in 2007. He took 10 wickets against them again in the next Test at Centurion.
He conceded over 3.5 runs per over for his first 150 wickets. Over his last 150 wickets, he's has brought this down to 2.9. Over his last 100 wickets it is 2.8. Overs his last 50 wickets, 2.5. People who watch him often wonder when the speed gun doesn't show 145+ kph speeds regularly. Steyn seems to have worked out a way to use that quicker ball to greater effect by bowling it more sparingly. Throttling back in this way also seems to give him more control.
Before he's done, Dale Steyn will probably end up above Malcolm Marshall and Glenn McGrath in the list of fast bowlers below.
Imran, Hadlee, Marshall, McGrath, Waqar, Holding, Lillee. Dale Steyn has surpassed them all. And he's done it against batsmen with fatter averages, better protective equipment, better bats and smaller boundaries. He's been hammered occasionally, as all those great bowlers have. Sehwag triple century at Chepauk and Michael Clarke's double hundreds last year come to mind. But he's got his own back with interest.
Its going to be some series in March. The greatest wicket taker of all time bowling for South Africa, and the fastest man since Shoaib Akhtar bowling for Australia.