England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), earlier today (May 15), announced the hiring of former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and New Zealand pacer Tim Southee as a ‘specialist skills consultant’ on a short-term contract ahead of the upcoming India Tests. Notably, the India tour of England starts from June 20, with the Three Lions slated to play their first Test of the summer in a ine-off contest against Zimbabwe from May 22.
Confirming the development, ECB issued an official release saying, “With his vast experience of playing in a wide range of conditions around the world and across all formats, [Southee] brings valuable insight and knowledge to the players.”
Southee will come in as a like-for-like replacement for James Anderson, who joined the England side as a mentor after announcing his retirement from an illustrious 21-year Test career at Lord’s last July.
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Tim Southee will now set to join forces with his former New Zealand skipper, Brendon McCullum. The 36-year-old fast bowler, who retired from Test cricket following England’s 2-1 series victory over New Zealand in December, ended a remarkable 16-year career that saw him finish as New Zelaand’s highest wicket taker with 776 wickets across all international formats.
Southee’s contract with England includes the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, along with the limited-overs (ODIs and T20Is) against the West Indies and the five-match Test series against India, which runs from June through July. His tenure will wrap up after the final Test at The Oval on August 4, after which he is expected to return to action with Birmingham Phoenix in the Men’s Hundred.
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