Southee’s farewell tour has come to an end, even as the repetition continued long after New Zealand were taken off the field for the final time. After 776 international wickets in 394 matches (the most for New Zealand) and that inaugural World Test Championship, the sun-washed Test cap was finalized in all four corners after 16 years of work. He admitted he didn’t know where it would go next, but its representation of a childhood dream coming to life has earned it a special place in the Southey household.
The 36-year-old was still off the field at 6pm on Tuesday, with the match – his 107th Test – already in the record books. His two wickets in the second innings took him six wickets in the series despite a heavy average of 54.33.
Career figure ends above 30. An attractive 98 sixes were hit in the Test, having failed to reach 100 on Monday when he found Jack Crawley in search of No. 99. However, the numbers are not the whole story.
“A hundred sixes, 400 Test wickets, 100 catches (he took 86) – all that would have been nice,” Southee said. “But I’m very grateful for what I’ve been able to do.
“The time I have spent here has been very special. As a kid, I just wanted to represent New Zealand when I grew up. To sit here and take almost 800 wickets is quite satisfying.”
Such clarity comes only after coming to peace with the calling time, which he had by the time of the official announcement a month ago. He said the hardest part was telling the people closest to him. For Southee, it has always been about the people.
At 5:35 pm, England head coach Brendon McCullum, a former New Zealand teammate in 170 international matches and captain of Saudi Arabia in 78 of them, presented his close teammate with a bottle of red wine signed by the England team of.
“We talked a lot about trying to leave the cap in a better place than where you found it,” McCollum said. “I know for a fact that when Tim walks into Seddon Park, he will walk in and he will be satisfied, but at the same time the country will be very grateful for his contribution for a long time.”
A few hours earlier, one of the men responsible for handing Southee that cap led the tour to a close in this era.
Richard Hadlee, the only New Zealander ahead of Southee in Test wickets with 431, was part of the selection panel that gave the promising 19-year-old the chance in 2008. His debut against England in Napier has now turned into this. Even a great person cannot imagine such a career, even if he sees immense potential in it. “Seventeen years later, Tim has certainly exceeded expectations,” Hadley said.
“There’s a lot more to Tim than just numbers and records. It’s very much the human factor that’s not often measured. He’s hugely respected by cricketers around the world. He’s a likeable character, a team man , is a team player.”
Saudi was impressed by the “special” tribute from the man he (and countless others) considers “the greatest Black Cap of all time”.
“He was there from the beginning. He was a selector who picked me at 19. So it was great to hear him here and say those kind words. It’s good to hear that from such a great player of the game.”
The spirit of taking the team to a better place and encouraging the young players as a true legend were the characteristics of this final goodbye. The future is already here, benefiting from Southee’s guidance.
Will O’Rourke’s devastating spells in both innings of this third Test further enhanced the outstanding talent of the 23-year-old. In the first two Test matches, Nathan Smith emerged as a dedicated cricketer who was not afraid of difficulties. The duo, along with Ben Sears and Jacob Duffy, have made Southee’s decision a little easier. The red ball will be in capable hands.
“I think Nathan Smith has shown what he’s capable of. I think Will O’Rourke is an incredible talent and he’s getting better in his time in this team. He’s only been in for 12 months And I look forward to seeing them take on the world.
“I really enjoyed my time working with these young guys, young ballplayers. Hopefully they learned something from it. I enjoy giving back.”
It looks like this could be a full international retirement. While initial announcements left white-ball availability open, when Southee was asked about his immediate future he deferred to the next generation. Franchise opportunities remain on the table.
“Now is the time for these young guys. I think we’ve seen a lot of things come to fruition over the last few years, and I’m just going to sit back and watch them take this team forward and enjoy what they’ve got.” Excited to see the proposal.”
Maybe it should be like this. Retirement from cricket is rarely straightforward and may be delayed when split between formats. Although last year was his toughest statistically – 17 wickets at 59.11 – it’s a good ending. At home, against the team from where this journey began. Most of all, Southee is satisfied.
“This game has given me so much, it has given me everything. I have spent more than half my life playing for this team and it has been a dream of my life to do this ever since I can remember. “
“It’s exciting. It’s sad. It’s a range of emotions you go through. But life goes on. I’m very fortunate to have done what I’ve done and I’ve enjoyed every second of it.”
Vithushan Ehantharajah is associate editor at ESPNcricinfo
Leave a Reply