It’s just not cricket
Tim Southee will devour Christmas lunch with New Zealand teammates and young families at Mt Maunganui with his eyes on the prize. And, potentially, a more significant one for his team next year at the home of cricket.
New Zealand’s senior bowler will mark his run-up at Bay Oval on Saturday, should captain Kane Williamson win the toss, requiring four Pakistan wickets to join Sir Richard Hadlee and Daniel Vettori in the 300-club.
At 32, Southee sprinted towards the milestone as the Black Caps swept West Indies 2-0. Since he, Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and Kyle Jamieson became a test pace quartet against India at Christchurch in February, Southee snared 17 wickets in his last three tests at 17.58.
Southee admits he’s allowed himself a brief glimpse of Lord’s, London, in June next year.
Beat Pakistan 2-0 at Mt Maunganui and Christchurch, and hope Australia sweep India 4-0, and a trans-Tasman final in the World
Test Championship will be at short odds.
‘‘That’s the excitement that’s added with the World Test Championship and if you are able to play some good cricket over that period and make the final it would be exciting,’’ Southee told Stuff.
‘‘Playing Australia in a test in England would be unique and pretty cool to do. It’d be nice to get a Duke ball in our hands again and our bowling attack with a Duke ball could be even more dangerous.’’
Amid all the comparisons between the respective pace attacks from Australia (world No 1) and New Zealand (world No 2), a neutral venue with a different ball would provide the ultimate gauge. Australia won seven of the eight trans-Tasman tests since 2015, all with the Kookaburra ball, while the English Dukes is more receptive to swing and seam bowling. Imagine Jamieson, on recent form, with that in his hand?
Back in 2013, Southee snared 10-108 against England at Lord’s before the Black Caps’ batting collapsed to defeat against Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad.
‘‘Over there the overhead conditions can play a massive part. There’s a lot of things that come into play in that part of the world. It’s something that’s in your mind, but our focus is purely on the Pakistan series for now.’’
England is on the radar for the Black Caps regardless of whether they qualify for the WTC final, with New Zealand Cricket confirming recent talks for a two-test series in England after the Indian Premier League in April-May.
For now it’s the relative normality of a Kiwi Christmas, and cricket in front of crowds. Southee will relish every moment and, most likely, be raising the red Kookaburra to a standing ovation some time in the next week or so.
‘‘Our bowling attack with a Duke ball could be even more dangerous.’’ Tim Southee