Andrew Alderson: Against all odds, Southee sparks batting recovery in second test against England

Tim Southee went down swinging in the Black Caps' first innings. Photo / Getty

By Andrew Alderson at the Basin Reserve

New Zealand’s batting recovery in the second cricket test against England came from an unlikely source.

The Black Caps are 202 for three, trailing by 24 at stumps after following-on during the third day of the second match in Wellington. The Barmy Army trumpeter’s rendition of Phil Collins’ Against All Odds seemed appropriate on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Ironically the salvage job was inspired by the willow of Tim Southee with 73 from 49 deliveries in their first innings of 209.

Fans know Southee can tonk a ball, albeit erratically.

He averages 16.23 from 131 test innings at a strike rate of 83. His knock now places him 10th equal on the chart for the most sixes in the format on 82, alongside Andrew Flintoff and Matthew Hayden. He heaved past Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Kevin Pietersen and Misbah-ul-Haq along the way. For context, Southee’s two shy of Sir Viv Richards’ 84, which were clobbered in 51 more innings.

The New Zealand captain brought a degree of Master Blaster swagger to the middle, with his side 103 for seven.

First, he started hammering the popping crease with his bat as if grubbing out a particularly pesky thistle on the family farm at Maungakaramea.

Then he extended his levers and teed off.

His third ball on a good length from Stuart Broad disappeared over mid-wicket. Eight deliveries of consolidation followed before he found a rhythm on his way to 23 not out as part of 138 for seven at stumps. Eventually six sixes and five fours hammered the pickets in a 98-run eighth-wicket stand with Tom Blundell.

That was New Zealand’s highest partnership of the series until openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway combined for 149 in the second innings.

Southee’s range moved between cover and backward square leg, but he had a penchant for dispatching left-arm spinner Jack Leach straight. Leach also faced the ignominy of dropping a steepler from the bowling of Broad at fine leg. Fortunately for England’s sake, Zak Crawley pouched a miscued skyrocket at mid-wicket next ball.

The performance was a reminder of Southee’s promise at No 10 on debut. He pummelled 77 not out off 40 balls from his second test innings at Napier in March 2008 as part of 431 in pursuit of a wishful 553.

Moments of grit have followed, such as 68 to resurrect the Black Caps’ chances against Sri Lanka after a first-innings slump at Christchurch in 2018 and 30 to gift his team a 32-run first-innings lead in the world championship final against India at Southampton in 2021.

But this one helped lead his XI out of a potentially embarrassing cul-de-sac. His charges have now responded to keep the Black Caps clinging in the game.