Tim Southee Joins England Cricket Team as Specialist Skills Consultant

Tim Southee's New Role with England Cricket

The England Cricket Board has once again enlisted the expertise of a New Zealand player, this time hiring former fast bowler Tim Southee as a Specialist Skills Consultant on a temporary basis. He will collaborate with England's head coach Brendon McCullum, who is also from New Zealand.

Reports indicate that Southee will join the England squad ahead of their Test match against Zimbabwe, which is set to commence on May 22 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. Following this, he will accompany the team for the prestigious MAK Pataudi Trophy, a five-match Test series against India starting June 20.

In an official statement, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) expressed their enthusiasm for Southee's addition, stating:

“With his vast experience of playing in a wide range of conditions around the world and across all formats, he brings valuable insight and knowledge to the players.”

After his consultancy stint with England, Tim Southee will return to play in the Hundred Men’s competition, representing Birmingham Phoenix starting August 5.

Southee, who retired from international cricket last year as New Zealand's all-time leading wicket-taker, achieved 776 wickets in 394 matches with an economy rate of 4.01, including 20 five-wicket hauls and one ten-wicket haul.

He also made a significant impact with the bat, ranking as the fourth-highest six-hitter in Test history with 98 sixes, trailing only Ben Stokes, Brendon McCullum, and Adam Gilchrist.

Meanwhile, England is eager to secure their first World Test Championship (WTC) final appearance after missing out in the previous two editions. They will also host the West Indies for three ODIs and three T20Is from May 29 to June 10, across six venues, with their Test series against India kicking off on June 20 at Headingley, Leeds.