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Tim Southee

Tim Southee
Tim Southee Image: Wikimedia Commons. YellowMonkey/Blnguyen / CC BY-SA 4.0

Overview

Timothy Grant Southee (born 11 December 1988) is a former New Zealand international cricketer who has captained the New Zealand cricket team in all three formats of the game. A right-arm medium-fast bowler and a hard-hitting lower-order batsman, he is the third New Zealand bowler to take 300 Test wickets. He debuted internationally at the age of 19 in February 2008, making him one of the country's youngest cricketers at the time of his debut.

Key Facts

Full name Timothy Grant Southee
Date of birth 11 December 1988
Nationality New Zealander
Role Right-arm medium-fast bowler; lower-order batsman
International debut February 2008 (Test, vs England)
Domestic teams Northern Districts, Northland
Captaincy New Zealand (all formats)
Test retirement 2024

Background

Southee plays domestic cricket for Northern Districts in New Zealand's premier first-class competition, the Plunket Shield, as well as in the Ford Trophy and the Super Smash. He also represents Northland in the Hawke Cup.

International Career

Debut

Southee made his Test debut against England in February 2008. In a notable performance for a teenager on debut, he took five wickets and scored 77 off 40 balls in the second innings.

Bowling style

Southee is known for his ability to generate late outswing at a brisk pace. Over time he developed off-cutting slower balls, bowling almost like a faster off-spinner on a damp wicket, and is regarded as a capable death bowler.

World Cups and ICC events

Southee was the third-highest wicket-taker at the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, claiming 18 wickets at an average of 17.33. He also impressed at the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, taking 7 wickets in a round-robin league match against England, a performance later named Wisden's ODI spell of the decade.

He was part of the New Zealand squads that finished as runners-up in the Cricket World Cup finals of 2015 and 2019. He was also a member of the New Zealand team that won the 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship.

Captaincy

Southee was named New Zealand's captain for the first T20I against the West Indies in place of Kane Williamson, who was rested for the match. The Blackcaps won that game by 47 runs. He went on to captain New Zealand across all three international formats.

Test Retirement and Records

Southee announced his retirement from Test cricket in 2024. He finished his Test career with 391 wickets, the third-highest for New Zealand in the format, and 98 sixes, equal fourth-highest in Test history. His Test batting strike rate of 82.68 is the third-highest among batsmen with a minimum of 2,000 career runs.

Significance

Southee's career is marked by his longevity, his role as a senior pace bowler in New Zealand's most successful era in international cricket, and his contribution to the country's first ICC World Test Championship title. His combination of swing bowling and aggressive lower-order hitting made him an all-format asset for the Blackcaps for over a decade and a half.

References