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Steyn began the Test on 899 ratings points and earned three ratings points for his efforts of 4-55 and 2-23 to become only the second South Africa bowler after Shaun Pollock to achieve the rare distinction.
In rankings terms, 900 or more ratings points means a player is truly outstanding, a benchmark for the very top bowlers.
A delighted Steyn said: “It is very special for me to join the 900-point club. There are a lot of world-class players in that region and it is an honour to be in their company.
“When I go out and bowl I hardly ever think of the rankings, for me it is about representing my country and giving my best for the team so sometimes it means a lot to receive the recognition.”
At 902 ratings points, Steyn is 17th in the all-time ratings list** with an excellent chance of moving further up that list provided he puts up another stellar performance in the second and final Test which starts in Johannesburg next Thursday.
Steyn has been holding the number one slot in the list for current players since the Durban Test against England in December 2009, although his first time at the top of that table came in April 2008. In 47 impressive Tests, the 28-year-old has taken 244 wickets.
Such is Steyn’s dominance in the bowling rankings that second-placed James Anderson of England trails him by 91 ratings points, while his team-mate Morne Morkel, who is the second best South Africa bowler in third position, is 126 ratings points behind.
Steyn lies in seventh position in the One-Day International bowlers’ list and 16th position in the Twenty20 International, facts that speak volumes for his outstanding talent, brilliance, consistency and a high level of fitness which has helped him succeed in all the three formats of the game.
While Steyn has achieved a career-best rating, Australia’s Shane Watson has earned a career-best ranking of 10th. Watson had figures of 5-2-17-5 in South Africa’s first innings score of 96 to lift him 15 places up the list.
Debutant Vernon Philander, one of the architects of Australia’s second innings collapse for 47 with figures of 7-3-15-5, has entered the bowlers’ rankings in 49th position.
In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, all three batsmen who scored centuries in a sensational Cape Town Test have made upward moves.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith, who scored 37 and 101 not out, has climbed eight places to seventh spot, Hashim Amla’s contributions of three and 112 have lifted him four places to eighth position – just eight rankings points behind his captain – and Michael Clarke has returned to the top 20 and lies in 17th position after gaining five places following his scores of 151 and two.
The Cape Town Test was a tough match for the batsmen, something that is reflected at the top of the batting table with South Africa’s Jacques Kallis finding himself overtaken at the summit of affairs by Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara.
Kallis had entered the match leading Sangakkara by three ratings points but has now slipped seven ratings points behind him after scores of nought and two not out. For Kallis to regain top spot he will now need to put up a solid performance in the second Test.
Other batsmen losing ground include Mike Hussey in 11th (down six places), AB de Villiers in 13th (slipping three spots), Shane Watson in 30th (dropping four slots), Ricky Ponting in 34th (down two positions), Brad Haddin in 42nd (falling five places), Mark Boucher in 48th (down three spots) and Phil Hughes in 53rd (slipping four places).
In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders, Watson has moved into third position, ahead of Stuart Broad of England and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan. The list is still headed by Kallis with Daniel Vettori of New Zealand in second spot.
Reliance ICC Test Rankings (as on 12 October, after the first Test between South Africa and Australia)
Batsmen
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Ave HS Rating
1 (+1) K.Sangakkara SL 880 56.93 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
2 (-1) Jacques Kallis SA 873 57.17 935 v NZ at Centurion 2007
3 ( - ) Alastair Cook Eng 823 49.72 836 v Ind at Edgbaston 2011
4 ( - ) Ian Bell Eng 822! 49.28 822 v Ind at The Oval 2011
5 ( - ) S.Tendulkar Ind 806 56.14 898 v Zim at Nagpur 2002
6 (+1) S.Chanderpaul WI 798 49.52 901 v NZ at Napier 2008
7 (+8) Graeme Smith SA 790 50.29 843 v Eng at Johannesburg 2010
8 (+4) Hashim Amla SA 782 47.20 842 v Ind at Kolkata 2010
9 (-1) Jonathan Trott Eng 776* 57.79 856 v SL at Cardiff 2011
10 (-1) Kevin Pietersen Eng 770 50.48 909 v WI at Headingley 2007
11 (-6) Mike Hussey Aus 763 52.18 921 v WI at Kingston 2008
12 (-1) Rahul Dravid Ind 758 52.92 892 v Pak at Kolkata 2005
13 (-3) AB de Villiers SA 745 47.01 810 v Ind at Centurion 2010
17 (+5) Michael Clarke Aus 710 46.87 855 v Eng at Headingley 2009
18 (-1) VVS Laxman Ind 707 46.33 781 v WI at Dominica 2011
19 (-1) Virender Sehwag Ind 705 52.30 866 v SL at Galle 2010
29 (+1) G.Gambhir Ind 622 47.87 886 v SL at Kanpur 2009
30 (-4) Shane Watson Aus 612 37.90 729 v Eng at Perth 2010
31 ( - ) Ashwell Prince SA 604 42.84 756 v Pak at Centurion 2007
34 (-2) Ricky Ponting Aus 590 52.72 942 v Eng at Adelaide 2006
39 (+1) Mahendra Dhoni Ind 551 37.69 662 v SA at Kolkata 2010
42= (-5) Brad Haddin Aus 526 36.36 637 v WI at Perth 2009
(+1) Darren Bravo WI 526* 43.05 557 v Ban at Mirpur 2011
48 (-3) Mark Boucher SA 504 30.55 566 v WI at Port-of-Spain 2010
51 (+1) Kirk Edwards WI 481* 59.42 507 v Ban at Mirpur 2011
53 (-4) Phillip Hughes Aus 473* 37.28 599 v Eng at Lord's 2009
63 (+1) Yuvraj Singh Ind 407 35.00 506 v Pak at Karachi 2006
76 ( - ) Marlon Samuels WI 363 28.51 488 v SA at Durban 2008
98 ( - ) Mitchell Johnson Aus 293 20.49 477 v Eng at Lord's 2009
99 ( - ) Darren Sammy WI 288*! 17.59 288 v Ind at Delhi 2011
103 (+5) Peter Siddle Aus 271*! 17.33 271 v SA at Cape Town 2011
Bowlers
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge HS Rating
1 ( - ) Dale Steyn SA 902! 22.96 902 v Aus at Cape Town 2011
2 ( - ) James Anderson Eng 811 30.57 813 v Ind at Edgbaston 2011
3 (+1) Morne Morkel SA 776! 29.47 776 v Aus at Cape Town 2011
4 (-1) Graeme Swann Eng 755 28.82 858 v Pak at Lord's 2010
5 ( - ) Stuart Broad Eng 744! 32.00 744 v Ind at The Oval 2011
6 ( - ) Zaheer Khan Ind 706 31.78 752 v SA at Durban 2010
7 ( - ) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 680*! 30.98 680 v WI at Mirpur 2011
8 ( - ) Daniel Vettori NZ 670 33.61 681 v Aus at Auckland 2000
9 ( - ) Mitchell Johnson Aus 643 30.73 825 v Eng at Cardiff 2009
10 (+15) Shane Watson Aus 633*! 28.29 633 v SA at Cape Town 2011
16 ( - ) Ishant Sharma Ind 594 35.02 671 v WI at Dominica 2011
17 (-3) Peter Siddle Aus 590* 32.05 635 v Eng at Melbourne 2010
20 ( - ) Fidel Edwards WI 576 36.70 590 v Eng at Lord's 2009
21 (-3) Doug Bollinger Aus 573* 25.92 666 v Ind at Mohali 2010
22 (-1) Paul Harris SA 567 37.87 705 v Eng at Centurion 2009
23 (+1) Ryan Harris Aus 562*! 21.37 562 v SA at Cape Town 2011
24 (-2) Darren Sammy WI 560*! 28.20 560 v Ind at Delhi 2011
28 (-1) Jacques Kallis SA 498 32.14 742 v Eng at Headingley 2003
32 ( - ) Pragyan Ojha Ind 478*! 36.85 478 v WI at Delhi 2011
38 ( - ) Devendra Bishoo WI 426*! 31.08 426 v Ind at Delhi 2011
39 ( - ) Kemar Roach WI 414* 31.63 494 v SL at Pallekele 2010
45 ( - ) R.Ashwin Ind 342*! 14.22 342 v WI at Delhi 2011
49 (NEW) Vernon Philander SA 311*! 9.75 311 v Aus at Cape Town 2011
51 (-1) Ravi Rampaul WI 307*! 36.68 307 v Ind at Delhi 2011
71 (-1) Virender Sehwag Ind 215* 42.25 320 v Aus at Delhi 2008
78 (-1) L.Tsotsobe SA 170* 49.77 179 v Ind at Durban 2010
89 (-4) Nathan Lyon Aus 129* 38.25 193 v SL at Pallekele 2011
95 (-1) Michael Clarke Aus 101* 40.66 265 v NZ at Wellington 2005
98 ( - ) Yuvraj Singh Ind 91* 54.11 140 v NZ at Hamilton 2009
100 (-3) Mike Hussey Aus 89* 28.00 101 v SL at Pallekele 2011
101 (-1) Marlon Samuels WI 87*! 82.28 87 v Ind at Delhi 2011
All-rounders
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts HS Rating
1 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 435 616 v Pak at Durban 2002
2 ( - ) Daniel Vettori NZ 389 412 v Pak at Napier 2009
3 (+2) Shane Watson Aus 387 /*! 387 v SA at Cape Town 2011
4 (-1) Stuart Broad Eng 376! 376 v Ind at The Oval 2011
5 (-1) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 375 /*! 375 v WI at Mirpur 2011
*indicates provisional rating; a batsman qualifies for a full rating after playing 40 Test innings; a bowler qualifies for a full rating when he reaches 100 Test wickets.
!indicates career-highest rating
** All-time Test bowlers’ ratings list can be found here.
