Tim Southee to retire from Test cricket at end of England series

Southee, 35, has taken 385 Test wickets in 104 appearances to date, second among New Zealanders behind Sir Richard Hadlee (431), and is set to come full circle on his career, having made his debut against England when he was 19 years in Napier. in March 2008.

He recently played a key role in New Zealand’s historic 3-0 victory in the India series, the first by a visiting team since 2012-13. Although he claimed only three wickets in the first two Tests, these included India captain Rohit Sharma as they were bowled out for 46 in the first match of the series, and their top scorer Sarfaraz Khan for 150 in the second innings. .

Southee had handed the Test captaincy to Tom Latham before that series, and is yet to decide whether he wants to continue his white-ball career on New Zealand’s post-Christmas tour to Sri Lanka.

“Representing New Zealand was everything I ever dreamed of as a child,” Southee said in his retirement announcement. “Playing for the Black Caps for 18 years has been the greatest honor and privilege, but it feels like the time has come for me to step away from the game that has given me so much.

“Test cricket holds a special place in my heart, so to be able to play such an important series against the same opponent that I began my Test career against all those years ago, and on three wickets that are incredibly special to me, It seems like the perfect way to end my time with the black cap.

In a historic career, Southee will be remembered as New Zealand’s most prolific bowler in international cricket, with 770 wickets across all formats to date, ahead of Daniel Vettori (696). No other bowler in international cricket has matched his feat of reaching 300 Test wickets, 200 ODI wickets and 100 T20I wickets.

His career-best performance of 7 for 33 came in the ODI format, a famous display against England in Wellington in the 2015 World Cup, which helped propel his team to the first of two consecutive appearances in the World Cup final. And although New Zealand missed out on both occasions, in agonizing fashion in 2019, Southee was instrumental in their long-awaited share of the ICC silverware. At Southampton in June 2021, he took figures of 4 for 48 in the second innings in their World Test Championship final victory over India.

He will also be remembered for his improbable batting prowess, with a total of 93 Test sixes to date, second only to Brendon McCullum among New Zealanders, and by far the highest ratio of sixes for any player with over 2,000 career Tests. by his name. Nine of them came in his first Test in 2008, when he struck out 77 not out in the fourth inning, his highest Test score.

“I will always be very grateful to my family, friends, coaches, our fans and everyone involved in the game who has supported me and my career over the years,” he added. “It’s been an incredible journey and I wouldn’t change a thing.”