South Africa Is a team known for its deadly batting and bowling. The most challenging task for any batter is to face the South African seamers. In South Africa, scoring runs is one of the most challenging responsibilities a batter can have. The best batsmen in the world are exposed to South Africa's green-clad wickets. The green-top pitch, particularly in South Africa, is nothing short of a batsman's tombstone.
On those surfaces, the bounce and movement in the air aided the fast bowlers' dominance. Outside of South Africa, there aren't many batters with a strong track record on South Africa's green-top surfaces. One of the main reasons why South Africa is regarded for generating world-class fast bowlers is because of this. South Africa has produced some of the best fast bowlers globally during the last two decades. Their velocity, bounce, and movement in the air and off the pitch have caused problems for the batsmen. Let's have a look at the 7 South African bowlers who have taken the most wickets for South Africa across all formats to shed some light on them.
10. Paul Regan Adams [134]
As an 18-year-old, Paul Adams made a name for himself with his "frog in a blender" stunt, which enraged England on their 1995-96 tour of South Africa. For at least a year, the action contributed to his growing wicket-tally, as batters were helplessly caught in the blinding glare of the unnatural contortion. However, as the element of surprise had worn off, Adams' performances for South Africa suffered from a lack of variation, and he made fewer appearances. Adams had never heard of googlies or chinamen when he was found by former South Africa great Eddie Barlow, and he called his deliveries "in spinners" and "out spinners."
9. Hugh Joseph Tayfield [170]
Hugh Tayfield, who died in a Durban hospital on February 25, 1994, at the age of 65, was one of South Africa's most successful bowlers and one of the game's finest off-spinners. He grabbed 170 Test wickets for 25.91 in 37 matches between 1949 and 1960. Tayfield took more wickets per Test match than either Jim Laker or Lance Gibbs, and while he was not a ball spinner in the same league as Laker, he was incredibly precise and could bowl all day. He favoured bowling over the wicket, close to the stumps, to allow the ball to drift away and break back.
8. Vernon Darryl Philander [224]
Vernon Philander is a powerful allrounder who has had a remarkable first five months in Test cricket, taking 50 wickets in only seven matches, the second-fastest in Test history. Philander hails from a country known for producing high-quality fast bowlers, and he has done everything he can to uphold that tradition in his first few games. His strength isn’t speeding, but he has everything else going for him: the ability to move the ball both ways quickly and attack the stumps repeatedly for extended lengths of time.
7. Kagiso Rabada [226]
Kagiso Rabada is a very deadly player in modern-day cricket with his raw pace. Kagiso Rabada is an exciting talent to emerge from South Africa in the post-No. 1 Test ranking era. He is a big, actual fast who frequently delivers in the 140-150kph bracket. Rabada had established himself as a potential assault leader at a very young age. Rabada shot to international prominence at the 2014 Under-19 World Cup, where he bowled 6 for 25 in the semi-final against Australia. South Africa win the tournament for the first time, with Rabada taking the most wickets.
6. Jacques Kallis [291]
No batter values his wicket more than he does, and no wicket in cricket is more valuable. Jacques Kallis is the South African team's broad-shouldered Goliath, a figure whose intimidating presence inspires peace in some and fear in others. Few modern-day cricketers are a better match for the concept of the classic cricketer. Kallis is a delicate, aggressive batter with a rock-solid technique and a mentality that is unaffected by distractions. Even though his function as a bowler is diminishing with each passing season, he will be remembered as a provider of occasionally startling pace and swing, as well as awkward bounce. His sure-handedness and viper reflexes in the slips make even the most outrageous catches look routine.
5. Morne Morkel [309]
Morne Morkel is a pure fast bowler who stands 1.96 meters tall and uses his height to generate steepling and uncomfortable bounce. He employed a combination of speed - in the upper 140 kph range - and finesse to become part of South Africa's most potent pace pack at the height of his powers. Morkel is the most successful sportsman in his family, as he is the son of Albert and the brother of Malan and Albie, all of whom are cricketers in their own right. He's been in the ICC's top ten bowlers in the world in all formats at some point in his career, and he was No. 1 in one-day internationals for a time in 2011.
4. Allan Anthony Donald [330]
If one player could be credited with South Africa's modern-day success, Allan Donald of the cricket team. He was the sole world-class performance in the South African team throughout the length of his career, spearing the ball in, shaping it away, and continually making things happen. His classical action and top-drawer pace would have earned him a berth in any side in his heyday. In Tests, his strike rate was under 50 percent, while in one-day internationals, it was close to 30 percent.
3. Makhaya Ntini [390]
Makhaya Ntini seems to lack a couple of the common characteristics of an excellent fast bowler. He doesn't have an express tempo, a quiver overflowing with variety or the drip torment of perfect accuracy. He did, however, have nearly 400 Test wickets. Ntini's success is built on tenacity, which demands him to push himself to a fitness level previously unheard of among cricketers, and a consistently upbeat personality, which gives him hope and aggression long after bowlers of lesser body and mind have given up. These traits make him the beating heart of the South African assault and the team's soul.
2. Shaun Maclean Pollock [421]
It would have been surprised if Shaun Pollock had not been an international cricketer - and a perfect one at that - given the type of material swirling around in his gene pool. Dad Through the 1960s, Peter spearheaded the South African attack; uncle Graeme was one of the best, if not the best, left-handed pitchers in the game. Shaun's makeup includes elements of both, but he's made a name for himself as an exquisite line and length seamer.
1. Dale Willem Steyn [439]
Dale Steyn, with his scary bowling and chainsaw celebration, is South Africa's most attacking fast bowler. Extreme speed, the ability to swing the ball both ways, and pinpoint precision have arguably made him the best player in the country's history. Steyn had a lean and wiry body, a scorching run-up that resulted in an aerodynamic movement, and a ripper of an outswinger when he was at the top of his game.
