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Tim Southee's New Zealand were whitewashed in the two-match Test series against Australia following their three-wicket loss on Day 4 of the second match at Christchurch on March 11, Monday. Meanwhile, post New Zealand's hammering captain Tim Southee expressed uncertainty about leading the team in Asian conditions, mentioning that he will decide on his captaincy role during their next tour in Asia.
Despite entering the second match as the favorites with a tight grip on the match for majority of the time, New Zealand couldn't maintain their composure, ultimately losing by just 3 wickets. This was after a significant 172-run defeat in the first game.
Southee's flop show in NZ vs AUS Test series
Southee, who is both the senior fast bowler and captain, was unable to significantly influence the match, securing only two wickets. Given his roles, expectations were high for him to lead from the front and contribute towards leveling the series. Facing upcoming challenges against Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and India, Southee's leadership will be crucial. His last captaincy stint in Asia was against Bangladesh, where the conditions minimised the pacers' contributions. Southee plans to make a decision about his captaincy in Asian pitches closer to the India tour, acknowledging the limited impact of fast bowlers in those conditions. His immediate focus, however, remains on how the team can rebound from their series loss to Australia.
“We’ll see. You go to Asia, the make-up of the side changes slightly with spin becoming the main threat in that part of the world. But we’ll see when we get there. We’ll deal with this tonight and look to move forward to what’s to come,” Southee told reporters after the match.
Since 1993, New Zealand has not secured a Test series victory over Australia, and they had a prime opportunity this time. However, they faced yet another defeat. Tim Southee conceded that Australia is a challenging team to overcome and acknowledged that his team did not perform at their highest level.
The captain of the New Zealand Test team remarked that although they experienced favorable moments during the match, they failed to capitalize on them.
“I’m not too sure. They’re a tough side to beat, not only in Australia but when they travel as well. I think when you play the best you’ve got to be at your best for those periods, that little bit longer. We had moments through both Test matches where we could have been a little bit better at times and then things could have been slightly different. But it was just another great Test and there’s been plenty of those over the last few years,” Southee signed off.
Notably, New Zealand will be on tour to India for a three-match Test series which will be played in the month of October-November later this year. It will be interesting to see whether New Zealand will stick with Southee or start exploring other options for the captaincy role.
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