Tim Southee to retire from Test cricket post England series
New Zealand's legendary fast bowler, Tim Southee, has announced his retirement from Test cricket. The 35-year-old cricketer will play his last match on home soil in Hamilton next month, ending England's tour of New Zealand. Southee has an incredible record of 385 Test wickets from 104 matches, second only to Sir Richard Hadlee (431) among New Zealanders. Here are further details.
Southee's career comes full circle with England series
Southee's career will come full circle as he had debuted against England in March 2008, at the age of 19. The upcoming series against England features two Tests in Christchurch (November 28 to December 2) and Wellington (December 6-10) and the final match at Seddon Park in Hamilton from December 14-18. Despite retiring from Test cricket, Southee has confirmed his availability for the 2025 ICC World Test Championship final at Lord's in June if New Zealand qualify.
Southee's significant contribution to New Zealand's cricket
Southee was instrumental in New Zealand's historic 3-0 series win in India, the first by a visiting team since 2012-13. Although he took only three wickets in the first two Tests, his scalps included India's captain Rohit Sharma and top-scorer Sarfaraz Khan. Ahead of this series, Southee had passed the Test captaincy to Tom Latham and is yet to decide on extending his white-ball career into New Zealand's post-Christmas tour of Sri Lanka.
Southee reflects on his career and retirement decision
In his retirement announcement, Southee said representing New Zealand was his childhood dream. He said, "To play for the Black Caps for 18 years has been the greatest honor and privilege, but the time feels right to now step away from the game that has given so much to me." He also noted Test cricket's special place in his heart and felt ending his career against England on familiar grounds was fitting.
Southee's remarkable achievements and future plans
Southee is New Zealand's most successful bowler in international cricket with 770 wickets across formats, ahead of Daniel Vettori (696). His career-best was 7/33 in an ODI against England during the 2015 World Cup. Although he is set to retire from Test cricket, Southee has said he will continue to be available for domestic and franchise cricket.
