'The best', 'all-time great': Cricketers react to Dale Steyn's retirement

CAPE TOWN: Dale Steyn, South Africa's all-time leading Test wicket-taker, announced his retirement from all cricket on Tuesday.

Steyn, 38, made the announcement on social media, saying it was "bittersweet" but that he was "grateful"

"It's been 20 years of training, matches, travel, wins, losses, strapped feet, jetlag, joy and brotherhood.

"Thank you to everyone, from family to team-mates, journalists to fans, it's been an incredible journey together," he said.

Steyn took 439 wickets in 93 Test matches before announcing his retirement from the five-day format in 2019.

He said at the time that he wanted to continue playing white-ball international cricket and was selected for the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England.

But he had to withdraw from the tournament without playing a match because of a shoulder injury and failed to add to his 196 one-day internationals wickets.

No doubt that Steyn has indeed left his mark on the cricketing world as the cricketers from across the world termed him "the best" and "all-time great" after his announcement.

Here's how they reacted:

'Great player, great man'

'The best'

'Remarkable career'

'One of the best the game has seen'

'Best wishes'

'All the best for your future'

'Champion cricketer and champion bloke'

'Outstanding career'

— Additional input from AFP