Tim Southee and Test cricket say farewell to each other this coming week and whether selected or not – a hot topic here – any guard of honour will be a deserved one. Starting and finishing against England is a neat way for his 16 years with New Zealand to come full circle, too, as is his domestic home, leafy Seddon Park in Hamilton, playing host.
Cricketers are more than just numbers but for the farm boy from Waiotira on the North Island, one of four sport-mad siblings rarely to be found indoors, they are still worth repeating. Southee sits second only to Sir Richard Hadlee for Test wickets by a New Zealander, 389 to the knight’s 431. In the three-format men’s era, 774 wickets combined make him their No 1, as well as 10th in the world overall.
