New Zealand veteran pacer Tim Southee has announced the he will retire from Test matches following the upcoming three-match series against England.
Southee will finish his Test career on home turf at Seddon Park, which will host the final match of the series. The match will begin on December 13, with the two Tests that precede it hosted at the Hagley Oval and the Basin Reserve, respectively. While this is scheduled to be his final Test, the right-armer specified that he would make himself available for the World Test Championship final in June if New Zealand were to qualify. New Zealand currently sit in fourth place in the league table following their series-win over India.
The former Test captain is New Zealand's all-time leading international wicket-taker, with his tally currently standing at 770. He has played over 100 games in each international format, and is only second to Richard Hadlee in New Zealand's Test wicket-taking standings. In the white-ball formats, he sits third on New Zealand's ODI wicket-taking standings but leads the way on the T20I list with 164 wickets at 22.38. He has reportedly yet to decide whether he will continue to play white-ball internationals for New Zealand's series against Sri Lanka later in December.
Southee made his international debut in a T20I against England in 2008, going on to make his Test and ODI debuts later that year against the same opposition. He is the only player in the world to have taken more than 300 Test wickets, 200 ODI wickets and 100 T20I wickets. Following Kane Williamson's resignation in December 2022, Southee was named captain of New Zealand's Test side, but stood down last month after the side's 2-0 loss to Sri Lanka. He led New Zealand in 14 Tests, winning six, losing six and drawing two.
In a statement announcing his retirement, Southee said: "Representing New Zealand was all I ever dreamed of growing up. To play for the BlackCaps for 18 years has been the greatest honour and privilege, but the time feels right to now step away from the game that has given so much to me.
"Test cricket holds a special place in my heart, so to be able to play such a big series against the same opponent my Test career began against all those years ago, and on three grounds that are incredibly special to me, seems the perfect way to end my time in the black cap.
"I'll always be grateful to my family, friends, coaches, our fans and everyone involved in the game who has supported me and my career over the years. It's been an amazing ride and I wouldn't change a thing."
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