Tim Southee’s Captaincy on the Line After Series Defeat Against Australia

March 11, 2024 0 394

Following a Test series defeat to Australia and his underwhelming performance, New Zealand captain Tim Southee expressed uncertainty about his future as leader and player.

New Zealand captain Tim Southee’s future as both player and leader remains unclear following their disappointing 2-0 Test series defeat to Australia. It comes after a sub-par performance by Southee himself, with questions being raised about his captaincy decisions and even his place on the team.

Addressing the media after the loss, Southee acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding his role. He recognized that playing in Asia requires a different approach, with spin bowling taking center stage. However, he remained non-committal about his future.

“We’ll see. Obviously, when 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,” said the Kiwi skipper.

Southee’s captaincy choices were scrutinized during New Zealand’s failed run chase in Christchurch. He was under the radar regarding his decision to delay introducing part-time spinner Glenn Phillips during the morning session.

Phillips, who had troubled the Australians in the previous Test, provided a valuable alternative to the pacers. It was especially true considering the batting partnership of Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey, who weathered the initial pace attack. However, Southee stuck by his decision to prioritise seam bowling, even though Phillips looked threatening in his limited overs and nearly took a wicket before lunch.

“Hindsight is a wonderful thing. But I think the amount of times we went past the bat in that first session, we felt that seam was the option. We created a few chances through that first session. I think we felt that seam was the right move,” Southee added.

Despite his underwhelming performance in the Tests, the 35-year-old might still be included in the Kiwi squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. New Zealand’s first match in the tournament is against Afghanistan on June 8th.