Birthday special: Tim Southee – Top 3 spells in international cricket

Tim Southee, a right-arm swing bowler with a wide variety of swings in his arsenal, made a spectacular breakthrough on the world stage. Southee was given his Test debut against England in 2008 after excelling in New Zealand’s domestic setup and the 2008 Under-19 WC. In his first Test at Napier, he started with a five-wicket haul, registering 5/55 before hitting a 40-ball 77 with nine sixes in the second innings of the Test.

At 19, he made his international debut as one of the youngest Kiwi players, and as he progressed, he eventually rose to become one of the Black Caps’ top bowlers. Despite repeated injury-forced breaks, he has been a consistent member of the New Zealand side across all formats, thanks to his wealth of talent. As he turns 35, let us look at some of his finest spells in international cricket:

5/18 vs Pakistan, 1st T20I, Auckland, 2010

Martin Guptill’s record-equalling fastest fifty and Tim Southee’s record-breaking five-wicket haul (5/18), which included a hat-trick, enabled New Zealand to defeat Pakistan by five wickets and take a 1-0 lead in the opening T20I. His fifer led to Pakistan ending their innings at 143/9, but the Kiwi batters chased down the score with ease, with 17 balls to spare.

7/33 vs England, Pool A, ICC Cricket World Cup, Wellington, 2015

With a career-best performance of 7/33 in nine overs, the right-arm fast bowler shattered England’s batting unit and had them reduced to 123/10. With 226 balls remaining, the Black Caps sailed to an easy eight-wicket victory. Southee recorded the best-ever ODI bowling numbers for a New Zealander and also went on to become the fourth bowler to register a seven-wicket haul in the World Cup. He broke his countryman Shane Bond’s 10-year-old record of 6/19 against India.

7/64 vs India, 2nd Test, Bengaluru, 2012

The Kiwis gained a lead in the second innings during the 2012 Test against India in Bengaluru, thanks to Southee’s extended spell. The bowler was the main man for the visitors as he wreaked havoc, took seven vital wickets, and returned with the numbers of 7/64 to curtail the Indian innings. However, India defeated the Black Caps by five wickets after chasing down 261.