Top 10 South African bowlers of all time

South African cricket can be divided into two phases - before and after the Apartheid. However, in terms of bowling talents, the Proteas have always been a notch above the rest in unearthing rare gems from the many schools that groom young boys into fearsome fast bowlers.

Over the years, quite a few South African pace bowlers have stood at the peak of fast bowling charts with consistent, electrifying performances but they have also started churning out enough spinners in the recent past.

While immigrants from India and Pakistan have helped in this regard, fast bowlers still remain South Africa's no.1 weapon in cricket across formats. Here we put together a list of top 10 South African bowlers across formats. Bear in mind that the list is not arranged on the basis of the number of wickets they have across formats, although wickets in itself are one among the many criteria followed in selecting this group of special bowlers.

---

#10 Neil Adcock

Adcock was the first South African to a 100 Test wickets

An aggressive, intimidating fast bowler, Neil Adcock was one of South Africa's first pace bowlers in World cricket. Adcock was tall and could generate disconcerting bounce and lift off the surface. He was the first South African to a 100 Test wickets.

Adcock made his Test debut in 1953 against the Kiwis in a home series. He made his inaugural Test outing memorable with 24 wickets in the series. Two years before retiring, Adcock snapped up 26 wickets in a tour of England and the following year won the Wisden Cricketer of the Year award. He died, aged 81, on 6th January 2013.

#9 Hugh Tayfield

Hugh Tayfield (right), was a promising off-spinner for the South Africans

Widely acknowledged as one of South Africa's best spinners ever, Hugh Tayfield was a weird personality with immense talent. An off-spinner who could make the ball talk, Tayfield was an integral part of the Proteas outfit for close to eleven years. He figured in 37 Tests during this time period and was the fastest South African to a 100 Test wickets until Steyn took over.

He had quite a few strange habits, including kissing the badge on his cap before handing it over to the umpire and smashing his toes into the ground before each ball. He made his debut for Natal as early as 1945 at the age of 17. He led the ICC bowling charts in 1955 after a sensational England tour where he took 26 wickets. He took 9/113 on the last day of a Johannesburg Test in which he bowled unchanged from one end.

#8 Imran Tahir

Tahir has been a hero for spinners in the country

Imran Tahir, a Pakistani leg-spinner who married a South African to settle in the country made a late debut for the Proteas in 2011 and has since not looked back. A passionate, wily leggie, Tahir has gone on to be South Africa's best bowler in the shorter formats of the game.

Intense and relentless, Tahir has a whippy action with a well disguised googly, which gives him a large chunk of his wickets. He has been a revelation in the country and has inspired quite a few spin bowlers in South Africa. He was named South Africa's T20I cricketer of the year in 2017. While his short stint in Test cricket wasn't very successful, there is no doubting Tahir's credentials as a limited-overs bowler.

#7 Fanie de Villiers

Fanie de Villiers was a force to reckon with in the early post-Apartheid period

Petrus Stephanus de Villiers, fondly called Fanie de Villiers, was a tall, intimidating fast bowler with a flowy action and a sharp bouncer. He made his South African Test debut in 1993 in Australia and in his second Test at Sydney, De Villiers ripped apart the Aussies with figures of 6/43 to lead South Africa to a five-run win. He won the Man of the Match for his efforts.

In the 1994-95 season, De Villiers established himself as one of the premier fast bowlers in the World taking an astonishing 36 wickets in 5 Tests at 17.4. He won the South African Annual Cricketer of the Year award twice - 1989 and 1995. In 2003, his biography, titled 'Fanie de Villiers: Portrait of a Test bowler' was released.

#6 Vernon Philander

Philander had a jaw-dropping start to his Test career

Unlike the regular South African fast bowler, Philander does not rely on pace and bounce to make the ball talk. Instead, he thrives on a nagging line outside the off-stump and some subtle, yet pretty effective seam movement off the surface. While he made his International debut in T20s, it was in Tests, almost five years later that Philander made his name.

A sensational debut saw him decimate the Aussies with his outstanding seam movement. The Aussies were bowled out for 47 as Philander had 5/15 against his name and the Man of the Match award. He completed the series with 14 wickets and swept away the Player of the series award as well. He is the third fastest to 50 Test wickets, achieving the feat in just his 7th Test match.

#5 Morne Morkel

Morne Morkel has been a huge asset for the Proteas across formats

Lanky, tall and uncomfortably quick, Morne Morkel is often described by players as one of the toughest bowlers to face. With his high arm action and lift off the surface, Morkel makes life difficult for the batsman with his bounce and searing pace. Predominantly a back of the length bowler, his partnership with Dale Steyn saw South Africa at the pinnacle of the World for quite a few years in Tests.

Even in the shorter formats of the game, Morkel used his tall frame and bounce to trouble batsmen and has quite a good record in ODIs. Coach Allan Donald hailed Morkel as one of the quickest he has seen and even remarked in 2012 that he, along with Steyn and Philander, formed the best pace bowling triumvirate in the World.

#4 Makhaya Ntini

Ntini, representative of the blacks in the country, was a true national hero

South Africa's first black cricketer, Makhaya Ntini was a legend in every right. An unorthodox fast bowler with a unique action, Ntini quickly established himself in the South African setup after he picked up a coveted ten-wicket haul at Lord's in 2003. Alongside Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald, Ntini formed a pace attack that terrorised teams around the globe.

He was quite a popular cricketer and a fan favourite and became the third South African to 300 Test wickets. He claimed his 350th Test wicket in his 90th Test match but was a waning force by then although he did scale the 100 Tests barrier. The arrival of Steyn and Morkel also made things tough for Ntini and the legend eventually hung up his boots in 2011.

,

#3 Allan Donald

One of South Africa's most successful pace bowlers, Donald was a fearsome fast bowler

The 'White Lightning' is one of South Africa's greatest fast bowlers ever. Tall and quick, Donald had a smooth action and a perfect follow through, that enabled him to remain a force in cricket for close to 12 years. Donald set the World on fire with his fiery pace and intimidating presence. He reached the top of the ICC Test bowlers rankings in 1998 and was second in ODIs behind Shaun Pollock.

His searing spell to Michael Atherton in Trent Bridge remains one of the best moments in the history of Test cricket. Despite all his heroics with the ball, Donald will sadly be remembered for his brain fade moment in the semi-finals of the 1999 World Cup against Australia. However, his name would still go down in the golden chapters of South African cricket.

#2 Shaun Pollock

A fantastic all-rounder, Pollock is South Africa's highest wicket-taker in ODIs and Tests

Tall, sharp and consistent, Shaun Pollock ruled South Africa's bowling stocks for nearly 13 long years during which he was regarded as one among the best fast bowlers in the World. The LG ICC ratings rank him as the 10th best fast bowler of all-time. He is one of the select few players with 3000 runs and 300 wickets in Test matches.

Pollock took on the mantle of captaining the South African cricket team after the Hansie-gate but resigned from the post three years hence after a disastrous miscalculation in the group stages of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. However, he remained an integral part of both Test and ODI teams and finished with 421 Test scalps.

#1 Dale Steyn

Steyn is arguably South Africa's greatest fast bowler

The fiery, aggressive, intent-driven Dale Steyn or the Phalaborwa Express is arguably South Africa's greatest ever fast bowler. Pace, swing in the air, reverse swing, bounce - Steyn had it all. He was at the peak of the Test rankings for a record 263 weeks ranging from 2008 to 2014.

Steyn got noticed for his eye-catching outswingers which have accounted for quite a few World class batsmen. He took over the mantle of South Africa's leading pace bowler from Shaun Pollock and did admirably well during his time at the top. Constant injuries have prevented him from becoming the highest Test wicket-taker, something well within his sights midway through his career. Currently, he is battling to get back to Test cricket after a lengthy lay-off and if he does, Pollock's 421 wickets will surely be under threat.