Southee star act as NZ post 100th test win
After one of New Zealand’s more satisfying test victories in recent memory, over world No 1 India, man of the match Tim Southee had barely a care in the world.
Apart from two: had wicketkeeper BJ Watling arranged the limousine for the traditional bowlers’ victory celebration up Wellington’s Mt Victoria, and would it be a stretch one to accommodate the long limbs of debutant Kyle Jamieson?
For Southee the glass of bubbly would taste extra sweet, after his start to 2020. He was wounded when dropped from an illness-ravaged side for workload reasons for the third test in Sydney, then India’s batsmen took a savage liking to his death bowling in the Twenty20 series.
Now 31, and with 279 wickets from his 72 tests, one of the side’s most respected figures was steely and determined, back in his favourite format.
A still, sunny, swing-friendly Wellington day certainly helped as his four-wicket burst yesterday sealed a match return of 9-110 in the Black Caps’ 10-wicket victory with five sessions to spare.
It was their 20th test win at the Basin Reserve and 100th in all, and sparked them up in the World Test Championship as India’s seven-test winning streak shuddered to a halt.
‘‘I love playing test cricket and it’s nice to be back out there in the whites with the guys. It’s about looking forward rather than looking back and being able to move on from previous experiences,’’ Southee said.
‘‘Just like this one, we’ll enjoy tonight and our focus will shift to Christchurch. It’s about continuing to learn as a cricketer and enjoying every opportunity you get.’’
Amid questions over Southee’s effectiveness in the shortest format, his test performances these past two years can’t be doubted.
Taking in the home series against England in March 2018, Southee has 71 wickets at 22.81, compared with Trent Boult’s 61 at 25.49 and the absent Neil Wagner’s 60 at 23.65.
Boult was back with a vengeance, too, having missed three of New Zealand’s past four tests with injury.
His lively spell on Sunday with some well directed bumpers sparked India’s collapse, helped by some poor shot selection. Boult ended with 4-39 as the visitors were skittled for 191, leaving the Black Caps nine to win.
Southee, Boult, Jamieson and spinner Ajaz Patel were an entirely new bowling lineup from Sydney, where they plunged to a 3-0 defeat. With Wagner (paternity leave) returning for Saturday’s second and final test in Christchurch, selection headaches loom.
Patel, who bowled six wicketless overs, may be the man to make way, after Jamieson’s impressive first innings contributions with ball and bat (4-39 and 44 off 45 balls).
Said captain Kane Williamson, who enjoyed his 17th test victory at the helm: ‘‘Kyle was brilliant in his debut and we saw in the white ball format as well, his ability to contribute in so many areas.
‘‘His slight unique part to his game where he’s coming from a different height and creating quite a lot of bounce..’’
Home advantage counted for plenty as New Zealand’s unbeaten record extended to 12 tests over nearly three years.
Williamson won his fourth successive toss in Wellington, which was decisive, and India batted first on the pitch at its trickiest. Then with the surface still offering some surprises they eked out 348.
Asked if doubted whether the side could bounce back from Australia, Williamson said: ‘‘Bouncing back isn’t a term that we use within our group. It’s just about stripping things back.
‘‘You can get carried away thinking about results [especially] when you have a number of poor ones and sometimes the want for a good one can be a distraction to getting it. So it’s about focusing on the things that are important, the roles that give us the best chance of success . . . guys were really committed to their roles on a surface that offered enough to create a good balance between bat and ball.’’