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'His legacy will live on': McCullum pays heartfelt tribute to retiring 'close mate' Southee
Stephen Foote • November 22nd, 2024 10:00 am
Photo: Photosport
The Blackcaps' mouthwatering home Test series against England will be tinged with more than a hint of sentimentality, as Tim Southee plays his final matches in whites for New Zealand before heading into retirement.
As fate would have it, Southee's adversaries in the three-test series will be led by long-time Blackcaps teammate, captain, and good mate Brendon McCullum, who'll be in the unique position of trying to spoil his close friend's swansong.
In 2008, Southee made his Test debut as a spry 19-year-old under McCullum's captaincy and would go on to become a fixture as his skipper's premier strike weapon through until his retirement in 2016.
Southee has since become New Zealand's second leading Test wicket-taker (385) of all time, with a chance to crack the hallowed 400-mark in his finale against McCullum's English.
Reflecting on Southee's outstanding contribution to New Zealand cricket on Sport Nation's Scotty & Izzy - having witnessed first-hand his growth as a bowler and human being - the 101-Test veteran waxed lyrical about a legacy that he said will live among the country’s finest.
"He's a guy who came in as a young kid and he's grown into a mature, married man and a superstar of the game," McCullum said.
"His legacy will live on after he's walked off that cricket ground.
"I look forward to sharing it with him. I know how proud his family and all of his close friends will be as well, albeit there'll be a touch of sadness.
"But he's been a great of New Zealand cricket, no doubt."
Photo: Photosport
With 104 Tests to his name over a 16-year span, McCullum described Southee's ability to maintain his standards over such a long period of time as perhaps the most enduring aspect of his career.
"His longevity is something which I applaud the most. I think you see in this game, and particularly in Test cricket, people are able to have fleeting periods of dominance and fleeting periods of success on the big stage.
"To be able to sustain that as a fast bowler over such a long period of time through injuries, conditions, form - and get the output of numbers, and the impact that he's had on those around him, is so significant.
"He's an absolute champion bloke. He's turned into a leader. He's been captain of his country. He's so influential in that dressing room."
McCullum believes Southee will eventually follow his own post-retirement pathway into coaching, where he's confident he'd be a natural.
"I think he'll actually turn into a wonderful coach in time," he noted. "He's got all of the attributes."
McCullum and his England squad are currently in Queenstown, where they'll begin a two-day warm-up match at Sir John Davies Oval on Saturday ahead of the first Test of the series at Christchurch's Hagley Oval on Saturday.
Sport Nation has landed | Scotty and Izzy
The team have recently returned from Pakistan, where they were beaten 2-1 in their three-match red-ball series. McCullum admits he had a keen eye on how the Blackcaps were performing across the subcontinent way, where they completed what he described as New Zealand Cricket's "greatest result" in their "incredible" sweep of India.
"I think it's the greatest performance, the greatest result, that New Zealand cricket has ever had, and I don't say that mildly.
"New Zealand cricket's had some great moments and some great teams over the years. But I truly believe, to the size of the task that New Zealand were able to achieve over in India, tops them all.
McCullum credited the team's balanced make-up for their success, a strength he admits he's wary of heading into the next month, where he says the stage is ideally set for some scintillating cricket.
"They seem to have a knack of being able to put India under a bit of pressure and I do think it's because of the resourcefulness of New Zealand sort.
"They're not relying on one or two players. The match winning performance can come from anywhere, which makes them incredibly dangerous.
"It's going to be a great series. There'll be packed houses.
"We've got a squad that we think will give us a good chance against a very strong New Zealand team at home."
Listen to the full interview below:
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Tune in for live commentary of all three Tests of the Blackcaps v England series via the Sport Nation app - found at the App Store or Google Play - or discover your local frequency here.
