New Zealand v Australia: Tim Southee casts doubt over future as test captain as Black Caps face difficult tour to Asia

Tim Southee and Kane Williamson react during the second test between New Zealand and Australia at Hagley Oval, Christchurch. Photo / Photosport

In the wake of Monday’s three-wicket defeat to Australia in Christchurch, Tim Southee concedes he’s not sure if he’ll lead the Black Caps in their next test series later this year.

After a summer that saw a history-making series win over South Africa, the Black Caps’ home season closed with a 2-0 defeat to their transtasman foes, Southee’s own form has come under the microscope.

Despite captaining the Black Caps to their first series win over the Proteas, Southee took just two wickets at an average of 91.50 apiece. Then, in defeat to Australia, he took four wickets at 61.25 runs each.

What comes next, though, could be more difficult.

In September, the Black Caps head to Sri Lanka for two tests, before a rare three-match series away to India in October.

With conditions on offer certain to favour spinners, Southee’s own place in the side as a bowler will be in question, never mind as captain.

When asked about his place in the test side in the near future, Southee gave no certainty of his position.

“We’ll see, we go to Asia and the make-up of the side changes slightly, with spin becoming the main threat in that part of the world,” he said.

“We’ll see when we get there. We’ll deal with this tonight, and then look to move forward to what’s to come later.”

This summer has seen Matt Henry become undroppable after a man-of-the-series performance of 17 wickets against Australia.

Meanwhile, Will O’Rourke has shown he’s a bowler for the future with a nine-wicket haul on debut, albeit against a weakened South Africa, while Ben Sears’ ability to hit speeds of 140km/h makes him a must-have when fit.

Kyle Jamieson will be out for most of the next year as he recovers from a fracture in his back but boasts a record that will see him in contention to be an all-time great for New Zealand.

In the spin stocks, Gary Stead has declared Mitchell Santner as New Zealand’s best slow bowler, while Ajaz Patel and Ish Sodhi are also capable specialist options.

What’s more, Glenn Phillips has quickly morphed into an all-rounder with his off-spin, while Rachin Ravindra also offers a handy left-arm option.

Since succeeding Kane Williamson as New Zealand test skipper at the end of 2022, Southee’s own form has taken a dip.

While the 35-year-old’s career record reads an impressive 380 wickets from his 100 tests at an average of 29.61, as captain that balloons out to an average of 36.18, for 33 wickets.

Skipper Tim Southee and the Black Caps came agonisingly close. Photo / Photosport

Despite his poor form, Southee asserts he still sees his place being in test cricket.

“I love thinking about the game, I’ve only been in the job a short time,” he added. “But it’s disappointing to finish a test block like this. It’s always easier when you finish a block with a win.

“We’ve got an exciting winter, we’ve got a tough winter away in Asia, and then we come back here and we’ve got a few tests against England.

“So [there’s] plenty of test cricket this year for us, which is exciting, and we’re looking forward to that challenge.

“But for now, we’ll reflect as a group, and look to move the side forward.”

Elsewhere, Southee also defended the displays of Scott Kuggeleijn as a specialist seamer.

In both Wellington and Christchurch, the 32-year-old was picked to complete a pace quartet at the expense of Mitchell Santner.

That decision was brutally exposed by the performance of Australia’s Nathan Lyon, who was named man-of-the-match at the Basin Reserve for his 10-wicket haul.

In two tests, Kuggeleijn bowled just 32 overs - the lowest total for a specialist across the entire series.

“He’s been a standout performer at domestic level, he’s near the top of the domestic wicket-takers,” Southee added.

“He added a very valuable 40-odd runs for us batting at the No.8 position.

“When you play four seamers, you’re looking for someone who can bat a bit. Scott’s got a handful of first-class hundreds, and we saw how valuable that 40-odd runs was.

“[He was] disappointing with the ball, but he still chimed in with a couple of important wickets in the first test in Wellington, and 40-odd runs here.

“It’s tough to everyone to play a role at times, but his runs here and couple of wickets in Wellington were important contributions as well.”