Cape Town – Proteas speedster Dale Steyn could be mere hours away from writing his name into the South African cricketing history books.

READ: Dale Steyn on the cusp of South African history

As of Christmas eve 2018, the 35-year-old Steyn is tied with fellow Proteas legend Shaun Pollock on 421 Test wickets.

That could all change come Boxing Day and the first Test against the visiting Pakistan team in Centurion.

It would take a brave man to bet against Steyn picking up at least one wicket at SuperSport Park to break out of that tie with Pollock.

It’s taken Steyn 88 Tests to reach that mark. It took Pollock 108.

But where do Steyn – and Pollock for that matter – rank in the list of all-time leading Test wicket-takers?

The answer?

In a tie for 11th.

There’s a log-jam immediately above Steyn in the list and “only” 14 more scalps will see him jump all the way to seventh in the rankings.

That’s an entirely feasible prospect one would think in the upcoming three Tests against Pakistan and the two that will follow thereafter against Sri Lanka in February – also on SA soil.

The first ball at SuperSport Park on Wednesday, December 26 is due to be bowled at 10:00.

All-time leading Test wicket-takers:

1. Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) – 800

2. Shane Warne (Australia) – 708

3. Anil Kumble (India) – 619

4. James Anderson (England) – 565

5. Glenn McGrath (Australia) – 563

6. Courtney Walsh (West Indies) – 519

7. Kapil Dev (India) – 434

T8. Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka) – 433

T8. Stuart Broad (England) – 433

10. Sir Richard Hadlee (New Zealand) – 431

T11. Shaun Pollock (South Africa) – 421

T11. Dale Steyn (South Africa) – 421