Tim Southee Nears 400 Test Wickets as New Zealand Prepares for Sri Lanka Tour
New Zealand captain Tim Southee is on the brink of a significant milestone in his cricket career. With 380 Test wickets, he needs just 20 more to reach the 400-wicket mark, making him the second New Zealander to achieve this feat after Richard Hadlee.
Southee, 35, acknowledges that reaching this milestone will be challenging, especially in Asia where spinners often dominate. He said, “I guess over time, when you play for a long period, you’re able to, I guess, come close to those, but still being 20 wickets away is a lot of tours, especially in this part of the world.”
New Zealand is set to play two Tests in Galle, Sri Lanka, starting Wednesday. While spinners are expected to take most of the wickets, Southee believes that pace bowlers will also have a role to play. “I think historically, here, in Galle in particular, spin has played a pretty big part. But as pace bowlers, if you can come here and do well, that’s a tough challenge but a very rewarding challenge,” he added.
New Zealand’s preparation for the Sri Lanka series faced a setback due to rain during their one-off Test against Afghanistan in Greater Noida. Despite this, Southee found positives in their time spent training and bonding in India.
To bolster their spin attack, New Zealand has brought in Rangana Herath as the bowling coach for their Asia tour. Herath, a former Sri Lankan great, has been working closely with New Zealand’s spinners, including Glenn Phillips, Azaz Patel, and Mitchell Santner.
Southee praised Herath’s impact on the team, saying, “[He’s] a guy who’s taken over 100 Test wickets on this ground, and been a Sri Lankan great. We’ve got three left-arm spinners in the squad, who he’s been working closely with along with our other spinners.”
Doubts Revealed
Tim Southee -: Tim Southee is a famous cricket player from New Zealand. He is known for being a fast bowler.
400 Test wickets -: In cricket, a ‘wicket’ is when a bowler gets a batsman out. Tim Southee is close to getting 400 batsmen out in Test matches, which is a big achievement.
New Zealand -: New Zealand is a country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It has a national cricket team that plays international matches.
Sri Lanka -: Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, near India. It also has a national cricket team.
Test series -: A Test series is a set of cricket matches played between two teams. Each match can last up to five days.
Galle -: Galle is a city in Sri Lanka. It has a famous cricket stadium where international matches are played.
spin-friendly conditions -: In cricket, ‘spin-friendly conditions’ means the pitch helps spin bowlers, who make the ball turn a lot when it bounces.
pacers -: Pacers are fast bowlers in cricket. They bowl the ball very quickly.
Rangana Herath -: Rangana Herath is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who was a great spin bowler. He is now a coach.
bowling coach -: A bowling coach helps cricket players improve their bowling skills.
spinners -: Spinners are bowlers who make the ball spin a lot when it bounces, making it hard for batsmen to hit.
hampered by rain -: If a cricket match is ‘hampered by rain,’ it means the rain stopped the game from being played properly.
one-off Test -: A ‘one-off Test’ is a single Test match, not part of a series of matches.
Afghanistan -: Afghanistan is a country in South Asia. It also has a national cricket team.
