Legend Status: Tim Southee Joins Exclusive Club With ‘World Class’ Milestone

When Tim Southee had Shan Masood caught by Ross Taylor for the first time today, his longtime partner Neil Wagner ran from a distance to give him a bear hug.

Wags was actually one ahead of everyone else. He thought [number 300] He was the first and he came in and gave me a big hug. I was like, ‘What’s going on here buddy?’ “

A classic case of premature celebration, but Southee and his ecstatic teammates didn’t have to wait much longer before capturing 300 and joining an exclusive club of New Zealand legends.

Haris Sohail was their most treasured victim, caught in short coverage by Mitchell Santner for nine, leaving Pakistan reeling at 37-3.

“It’s special,” he said. “Obviously not a lot of people have been able to do it and the two who have done it are two of our best cricketers. It’s nice to be in that group with those guys.

He is behind only Sir Richard Hadlee (431) and Daniel Vettori ONZM (362) on New Zealand’s all-time list.

“When I was a kid, all I wanted to do was play cricket for New Zealand and sitting here after a reasonable amount of time of doing it and accomplishing a few things along the way is a really nice feeling.”

The kid from Maungakaramea who burst onto the scene in 2008 with a goofy smile, a decent jumper, and a great effort up to the corner of the cow has become one of the best exponents of bowling swing in the world.

Starting Pakistan’s second inning at 298 wickets, he quickly knocked out Masood by a duck, caught by Ross Taylor on the first slip. That followed Trent Boult, Southee’s wingman for most of his career, (he would no doubt call Southee his wingman), taking a wicket with his second ball.

While the hot start and the round number celebration were enjoyable (Mom and Dad, Murray and Joanne, his wife Brya, and their two daughters were there to share the moment), Southee recognized the work that lay ahead.

“We know tomorrow is going to be a tough routine, but that’s the beauty of test cricket – the beauty of showing up on the fifth and having a chance to win a test match for your country.

“We are giving Kyle [Jamieson] a little stick. It is his first day five in a test match. Test cricket is tough, it’s tough and when you show up on day five with all three results still possible, it’s a great feeling. “

It could even be tougher with Wagner battling two broken fingers. It could have been Southee’s day, but he had several thoughts on “Wags.”

“It sums up Neil as a man. The way he behaves and does the job epitomizes him as a guy. He broke his hand against Australia and moved on as well. Got to worry about later – the test mentality.

“Hopefully I have a big push tomorrow.”

Southee’s exploits have sometimes been unappreciated outside of the Black Caps milieu, but some of that could be attributed to the misconception that he was an off-roader after he broke a ridiculous 77 no on debut against England, including nine sixes. . He has never risen to those heights with the bat again.

There should be no such questions about your bowling alley.

Southee’s action in the exchange is a last trump, especially with the new ball, though she is also noted for her ability to cast long spells with the old one as well.

Former captain Brendon McCullum once surprised New Zealand’s Cricket bureaucrats by suggesting that Southee could be his vice-captain, as he had a reputation for being a party animal at the time. When McCullum finally took over the captaincy, he leaned heavily on Southee’s leadership, as Kane Williamson does now.

There is another chord in Southee’s bow that should never be forgotten – he ranks among the best fielding bowlers. Athletically gifted, he also has superb hands in close catching positions, a rarity for rapids.

(Since this is a celebratory story, we’ll only superficially mention the fact that he’s a lousy critic of LBW at his own bowling alley.)

Southee has indicated that he intends to play, injury and form permitting, for many years to come. He says the only thing he has maintained since day one is “drive and determination” to keep learning and improving.

It would be sacrilege for some to compare it to Hadlee, but don’t rule out that it drops by 431.

“I would love to play as long as possible. I love doing what we do … it is a real honor to be able to play for New Zealand,” he said.

“There are high standards that come with representing New Zealand and as long as you can maintain those standards, then I guess age is just a number. I just turned 32, people probably think I’m a little bit older than they thought.” A.M

“You see James Anderson still able to achieve what he is achieving at the age of 38. Ross Taylor (36) too, seems to be getting better and better with age. I hope he maintains those standards. I would like to continue playing.” .

He is also improving with age. His last 100 wickets have come in 20 tests, which is world class.

Southee’s 300 wickets have averaged 28.53 in 76 tests. Only 23 fast pitchers in the game’s history have had more proving grounds. You start climbing that list on day five of this test.