Black Caps v England: Tim Southee remains final decision for New Zealand selectors

Tim Southee will likely be tossed the ball again in Hamilton. Photo / Photosport

The Black Caps managed to dodge a couple of difficult selection calls in the space of 24 hours.

The third will wait a few more days, but their chances seem promising of completing a hat-trick.

First, Tom Blundell was dropped on zero before compiling an inconsequential but drought-breaking century as his side were handed a record home defeat in the second test against England at the Basin Reserve.

Then, Devon Conway was ruled out of the third match ahead of the birth of his first child, news that arrived as a surprise when past precedent had been to announce such plans as squads were named.

Now, the final troublesome decision over a struggling veteran will await a pitch inspection at Seddon Park, where the selectors will almost certainly find a surface that leaves them no choice but to retain Tim Southee.

Even if they instead discovered a rank turner, curtailing Southee’s retirement tour would be bold.

The 35-year-old has pulled on a black cap 393 times across formats, collecting 389 test wickets to sit behind only Sir Richard Hadlee. Players of such esteem generally decide when to send down their last delivery, as Gary Stead acknowledged the morning after his team’s 323-run humbling in Wellington.

“Tim Southee has made the decision that it’s on his terms when he wants to go out of the game,” said the coach.

A spinner’s paradise would be required before Stead and Tom Latham considered overturning that decision – not a ground where only two wickets have fallen to spin in two Plunket Shield games this season.

“Once we get up there and have a look at the pitch, then we’ll make those decisions,” Stead said. “Both Tim and Kane [Williamson] played on the wicket [in the Plunket Shield], so they will certainly have an idea of how that looked and they’ll be able to give Tom and I a good understanding.”

Southee’s feedback from that November appearance for Northern Districts is unlikely to focus too closely on the two wickets he collected across 24 overs, a trio of seam teammates chiming in with the other 18 Auckland scalps.

But being the fourth-most threatening member of an attack is nothing new for a bowler who has played 12 tests since he last claimed more than two wickets in a match. That status has been clear throughout the England series, with Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke and Nathan Smith each proving more problematic to the touring batters.

With the uncapped Jacob Duffy having made way for Mitchell Santner – and with Kyle Jamieson and Ben Sears rehabilitating injuries – Southee remains one of only four seamers in the squad. If the Seddon Park pitch calls for four seamers, that will be sufficient for Southee to make a final bow.

Tom Blundell celebrates his century on the third day of the second test. Photo / Photosport

There had seemed more intrigue in the batting order before Blundell’s bat and Conway’s baby removed all doubt: Will Young will open alongside Latham at Seddon Park, the player of the series in India making a popular return.

Blundell likely would have retained his spot regardless of whether Jacob Bethell had snagged a catch to give the wicketkeeper a second duck of the series. While England flourished when shifting down a top-order batter and giving him the gloves, the New Zealand selectors have rarely displayed that level of adventure.

Conway, though, could have been clinging to his place were it not for the unexpected paternity leave.

Young’s mediocre past record as an opener was deployed in argument against breaking up the Latham-Conway partnership, but that reasoning became increasingly flawed with every failure from the incumbents.

Latham and Conway are without a 100-run stand since England’s last visit in February 2023, this year recording fewer in double figures (eight) than single (10). The skipper was never going to drop himself – as Southee showed during his final series in charge in Sri Lanka – and Conway followed 11 with a duck in Wellington.

Choosing to stay there is a blessing for the family, for the deserving Young, and for the selectors.

The Alternative Commentary Collective is covering every home Black Caps test this summer. Listen to live commentary here.

Kris Shannon has been a sports journalist since 2011 and covers a variety of codes for the Herald. Reporting on Grant Elliott’s six at Eden Park in 2015 was a career highlight.