Following a challenging home series defeat to Australia, New Zealand captain Tim Southee is left considering his cricketing future, particularly his role in the Test format in the upcoming tours to Asia. Southee’s uncertainty extends to whether he will lead the Black Caps in Tests against Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and India later in the year, a testament to the dynamic nature of cricket and the different demands various conditions place on team composition.
The question mark over Southee’s role stems in part from New Zealand’s approach to Asian conditions, which typically favor spin bowlers over seamers. “We’ll see. Obviously you go to Asia, the make-up of the side changes slightly with spin becoming the main threat in that part of the world. But we’ll see when we get there. We’ll deal with this tonight and look to move forward to what’s to come,” Southee remarked during the post-series reflections.
The recently concluded series with Australia witnessed the Kiwis put up a gallant effort, at one point reducing the dominant visitors to 34/4 in their chase of 278 runs. However, Australia’s depth shone through as players like Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, and Pat Cummins steered their team to a gripping three-wicket victory on the penultimate day of the series.
With such a schedule, compounded by fixtures like the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the T20 World Cup, the team doesn’t have any Tests until the latter part of the year. During his tenure as skipper, Southee has already had a taste of leading in the subcontinent, albeit during the Bangladesh series last year, where he was one of two seamers in the playing XI. Whether these experiences will translate into a sustained role in Asia is yet to be determined.
Moreover, the series continuation against Australia brought to light the long-standing difficulty the New Zealand side faces when taking on their trans-Tasman rivals on home turf. The locals have not claimed a series victory on their soil since their win in Auckland in 1993. Acknowledging this fact, Southee conceded that triumphs against a high-caliber team like Australia require sustained excellence throughout a Test match—a level the Kiwis did not quite reach, despite some opportunities to sway the momentum in their favor.
Reflective of a true sportsman, Southee expressed his perspective on the just-concluded Tests, underscoring the competitive nature of clashes with Australia: “I’m not too sure. They’re a tough side to beat, not only in Australia, but when they travel as well. I think when you play the best you’ve got to be at your best for those periods, that little bit longer.” He admitted that there were times when New Zealand could have asserted themselves more, which might have altered the complexion of the games.
As the New Zealand cricket team turns its eyes towards the upcoming challenges, decisions around team composition and leadership in the spin-friendly environments of Asia await. With time to strategize and reconvene, both Southee and the New Zealand selectors will have some important conversations about the direction of the Test side. For now, Southee’s captaincy fate remains as unpredictable as the turning pitches of the subcontinent.
