Tim Southee joins hands with the England team, will become ‘Special Skills Consultant’
Tim Southee is now going to become a part of the England cricket setup, where he will guide the team as a “Special Skills Consultant”. He is getting this role from the first Test match itself, which will be played against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge next week. Southee is replacing James Anderson in this post, who will no longer be active in the England coaching staff.
36-year-old Tim Southee ended his Test career in December 2024 after England’s 2-1 Test series win against New Zealand. His 16-year career has been quite spectacular in which he took 776 wickets in international cricket, which is a national record.
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Tim Southee and England’s current Test coach Brendon McCullum’s connection is also deep. Southee has played 170 matches with McCullum, of which 78 matches were under McCullum’s leadership. Both have also played cricket together for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL and for Middlesex in England domestic T20 Blast. After the final Test of Southee’s career, McCullum gifted him a red wine bottle signed by the England team.
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His new role will be known as “Specialist Skills Consultant” but in reality it will be an updated version of James Anderson’s role. Anderson joined the England coaching setup after his 21-year international career but this season he is back in the field to play the whole summer for Lancashire. After his calf injury, he could be seen in action by the end of this month.
Tim Southee’s short-term contract will be for England’s only Test against Zimbabwe (starting on 22 May), the white-ball series with West Indies and five Test matches against India. The India series will take place in June and July, while his England stint will end after the Oval Test on August 4. Southee will then continue to play for Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred tournament.
The ECB welcomed Southee’s selection in its press release, saying, “He has experience playing in different conditions around the world. He brings valuable insights into each format which will be of great use to players.”
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