Tim Southee Joins England Men's Cricket Team as Skills Consultant
Tim Southee's New Role with England Cricket
London [UK], May 15: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has officially announced the appointment of Tim Southee, the former New Zealand fast bowler, as a specialist skills consultant for the England men's cricket teams on a temporary basis.
In a statement released on Thursday, the ECB confirmed, "Tim Southee, a former international cricketer from New Zealand, has joined us as a specialist skills consultant for the England men's teams for a short period."
At 36 years old, Southee recently concluded his international career in December, finishing as New Zealand's all-time leading wicket-taker. He will provide support to England's teams across all formats until the end of the Test series against India, which is set to begin on June 20 at Headingley.
His extensive experience playing in diverse conditions globally and across various formats will offer invaluable insights to the players.
After his consultancy role, Southee is expected to return to playing in The Hundred for Birmingham Phoenix.
He will join the squad in preparation for England's first match of the international summer—a one-off Test against Zimbabwe, starting next Thursday at Trent Bridge.
Having retired after the home series against England last year, Southee left the game with an impressive total of 776 international wickets, the highest by any New Zealand bowler across formats. He achieved 391 Test wickets, ranking second among New Zealand bowlers, only behind Richard Hadlee's 431.
In T20 internationals, he holds the record for the most wickets, with 164. Additionally, he is the third-highest wicket-taker in ODIs for New Zealand, with 221 wickets, trailing Kyle Mills (240) and Daniel Vettori (297).
Beyond his bowling prowess, Southee was also a competent lower-order batsman, accumulating 3,288 runs in 394 matches at an average of 14.11, including eight fifties. His Test runs totaled 2,245 at an average of 15.48, with seven fifties. Notably, he ranks fourth for the most sixes in Test cricket, with 98.