Tim Southee has been a man who has been frequenting international cricket for a while now and with the kind of flair that he comes to the frame with, it is very rare that others can come close to him in terms of generating seam with the new ball. He is also an experienced campaigner and has now been tasked with leading the Kiwi side in the longer formats of the game.
On Monday when New Zealand had to battle not one but two opponents that included Sri Lanka and the strongest of winds that were fiercer than the highest standards of Basin Reserve, the balls would frequently blow off the course, leaving the batters guessing while the bowlers to force additional pressure to their deliveries just in order to keep the ball in check from flying away off course.
At the end of the day, he did manage to lead New Zealand to a phenomenal 2-0 win where the visitors eventually ended up submitting meekly with no resistance whatsoever. Southee led the charge brilliantly as a bowler and a captain and won over the internet with a heart-warming speech.
Here is what Tim Southee had to say about the field conditions
Southee said, “We’ve had a few follow-ons, and you’re preparing yourself to possibly be out in the field for a long time. It was great to have the guys want the ball in their hand, and wanting to keep coming in. Guys putting up their hand up to bowl into the wind. I think of Blair Tickner’s spell early in the day, to come into the wind, and to get the two guys out early was massive and set up the day. Doug Bracewell coming in after a long period of time and wanting to bowl into the wind. The guys just kept on coming. That’s a characteristic of the side – to keep going in tough times.”
He further added, “She was pretty blustery out there. Not pleasing conditions to be out there in. I can’t remember too many times when the camera was taken down. It just shows the sheer force of the winds and the gusts that were out there today. Some horrible conditions at times. The guys just managed to find a way to get the job done.”
Southee then shifted his focus to the surface, stating, “It was a pretty slow surface,” Southee said. “The ball was 40 overs old, and we had Matt Henry at the other end bowling more traditional lengths, and we thought Blair bowling short was our best chance to get a couple of early wickets and it came off today.”
Tim Southee was in absolute awe of his team’s display against Sri Lanka and the strong winds
He continued, “The guys are all a bit weary after a busy wee while. Test cricket isn’t easy. The guys were a bit heavy in the legs, but very pleased to have this game wrapped up. There’s a lot of character shown throughout the home summer, and also in Pakistan as well, which is a tough place to go. We got ourselves in positions to win both of those Pakistan matches as well. It’s been a pleasing few months in the whites. A number of guys have stepped up. We’ve won from different positions, and have shown character to bounce back from a loss at Mount Maunganui [against Bangladesh]. It’s nice for Test cricket to be ticking along.”
