South African pace ace Dale Steyn capped a brilliant 2008 by producing a performance he says is easily the pinnacle of his Test career.
Steyn backed up his fearsome reputation by bowling and batting his side to within two more good sessions of winning the second Test at the MCG and posting their first series win on Australian soil.
After a mediocre performance in the first Test in Perth, Steyn followed his first-innings 5-87 with a haul of 5-67 in Australia's second innings on day four, which gave the tourists a manageable pursuit.
Steyn rated his match return with the ball and his crucial 76 runs on day three as better than anything he had achieved in an amazing year, which has now yielded 74 wickets at 20.01.
"Coming to Australia and to be able to do that against an Australian side is fantastic," Steyn said.
"I always said before I came here that I've achieved some terrific things ... a Test wicket is still a Test wicket and difficult to get no matter who you play against.
"But to be able to do it against the No.1 team in the world in their backyard is something that I've only dreamt of."
Steyn's tally on Monday was his 11th five-wicket haul, his third return of 10 wickets in a match and gave him 150 career scalps from 29 Tests.
He said his achievements at the MCG were "leaps and bounds" superior to anything else he had done in the game, which would only be made sweeter provided his batsmen could peel off 153 more runs on Tuesday.
