On Wednesday (October 2), New Zealand Cricket confirmed that Tim Southee had resigned as the Test captain of New Zealand, with Tom Latham taking on the position on a full-time basis. Only a few days have passed since New Zealand’s 2-0 defeat in the Test series in Sri Lanka. The forthcoming Test series against India will be Latham’s first task as full-time captain.
Since making his debut for the team in 2008, Southee, the leading pacer for New Zealand, has participated in 102 Test matches and taken 382 wickets. After replacing Kane Williamson as captain in December 2022. He captained the team through 14 Test matches, going 6–1 with wins, 6–0 with losses, and 2–0 with draws.
Following his decision to resign, Southee stated that it was made with the team’s best interests in mind. “Captaining the BLACKCAPS in a format that’s so special to me, has been an absolute honour and a privilege,” he stated. “I’ve always tried to put the team first throughout my career and I believe this decision is the best for the squad.
Tim Southee
I think that going forward, I can best support the team by concentrating on my on-field performances and returning to my peak in order to keep picking up wickets and assisting New Zealand in winning Test matches. I will support my colleagues like I always do, especially the young bowlers who are making waves on the international scene. As he has done for me over the years, I wish Tom all the best in the role and he knows that I’ll be there to assist him along the way, Southee said.
Giving up something you love is never easy. But Tim is a real team player and he made the decision with the good of the team in mind. Stead stated, “He’s one of our best players ever, and we still see him contributing to our Test side going forward.”
Sixth place in the WTC rankings presently belongs to New Zealand, the victors of the inaugural World Test Championship. India, who are currently atop the standings, will be the opponent in three Test matches that they will play at Bengaluru (October 16–20), Pune (October 24-28), and Mumbai (November 1-5).
