Tim Southee Set to Retire from Test Cricket

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New Zealand's Highest Wicket-Taker Announces Decision

New Zealand's highest wicket-taker, Tim Southee, is set to retire from Test cricket at the end of the England series in December. Southee will make himself available for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final next June if New Zealand qualify.

"Representing New Zealand was all I ever dreamed of growing up," Southee said. "To play for the BlackCaps for 18 years has been the greatest honour and privilege."

Career Highlights

Southee first rose to fame with a 17-wicket campaign at the U19 World Cup in 2008. He has since led the New Zealand bowling attack across all three formats, appearing in multiple international tournaments.

Notable Achievements

• 385 Test wickets in 104 matches
• New Zealand's second-highest wicket-taker of all time in red-ball cricket
• The only player in the world to claim more than 300 Test scalps, 200 in ODIs, and 100 in T20Is.

Recent Form

Most recently, Southee played a vital all-round role in New Zealand's historic 3-0 whitewash of India in India. Prior to the series, the senior seamer had passed on the captaincy hat to Tom Latham.

Tributes to Southee

NZC chief executive Scott Weenink saluted Southee as one of New Zealand's greatest, crediting him for the team's red-ball success over the past few years.

Team's head coach Gary Stead praised Southee for his contributions in setting up victories for New Zealand.

"Tim's durability and resilience has been outstanding," Stead said. "He's an incredibly tough competitor who gets himself up for big occasions and is rarely injured."

Future Plans

Southee has indicated he would still remain available for domestic and franchise cricket going forward, but has yet to take a call on whether he will continue his white-ball international career with the post-Christmas tour of Sri Lanka.