Cricket: Tim Southee becomes third Kiwi to take 350 test wickets as Black Caps fight back against Pakistan

Tim Southee picked up his 350th test wicket in the first test against Pakistan. Photo / AP

In dismissing Agha Salman, Black Caps captain Tim Southee reached a milestone few have achieved.

Trapping Salman lbw in the first test in Karachi for the final wicket of Pakistan’s first innings took Southee’s career test wicket tally to 350.

It’s a mark that has only twice been reached by New Zealanders, with Sir Richard Hadlee and Daniel Vettori the other Kiwis among the 26-strong list to have made such an impact in the test arena.

Southee posted figures of 3-69 in the innings, on a track that offered little for the bowlers – particularly for the seamers. In his first test as captain, Southee made the breakthrough his side needed to fight their way back into the test, dismissing Babar Azam for 161 early on the second day after the Pakistani captain dominated at the crease on day one.

Southee again got rid of a settled batsman when he dismissed Salman for 103, with the Black Caps limiting Pakistan to 438 after going into day two 317-5.

“Legendary status a long time ago,” Black Caps spinner Ish Sodhi said of Southee after the achievement. “350 test poles is obviously an amazing achievement, but to come out and, at this stage of his career on a wicket that didn’t offer a hell of a lot for seam bowlers, still finding a way to adapt and get the huge wicket of Babar on 161 is a huge credit to him.

“It’s been a great couple of days for Timmy and hopefully he can continue over the next few as well.”

Southee reached the 350-wicket mark in his 89th test, the second-fastest Kiwi to do so behind Hadlee (69 tests). In a career that has seen him take 14 five-wicket bags and one 10-wicket match, Southee sits 26th on the all-time wicket-takers list, five back from Sri Lankan Chaminda Vaas and Australian Dennis Lillee (355).

He is 12 wickets away from overtaking Vettori as New Zealand’s second-highest test wicket-taker, with Hadlee 13th all-time with 431. Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan sits at the top of the heap by almost 100 wickets, with his 800 a feat that will be hard to top.

While it was a great achievement for Southee, Black Caps batting coach Luke Ronchi suggested the side’s captain wouldn’t take time to revel in it until the job at hand had been finished.

“That’s what Timmy does. It’s just the consistency of going out there with ball in hand and asking questions the entire time. With a new ball, with an old ball, on flat wickets, on green wickets, he’s been doing it for a long, long time and he’s consistent as ever. To get 350 next to his name is a great achievement.

“It’s something that he’ll look at as time goes on and be really pleased with, but he also knows what he’s still got ahead; the new test captain, we’ve still got a massive three days left of this test, then another test after that. There’s a lot of cricket to go, but he’ll look back [on the tour] with some good memories and be really proud of the achievement.”

The Black Caps made a fantastic start in their first innings, with Devon Conway (82) and Tom Latham (78) guiding the side to an unbeaten 165 at stumps.