Veteran New Zealand cricketer Tim Southee opened up about feeling pressure while batting for the last time for the national cricket team during the third Test match against England. Tim Southee said that he had never felt so much pressure coming into bat with 98 Test sixes, describing it as a strange feeling.
Southee is nearing the end of his 16-year Test career. On day three of New Zealand’s second innings in Hamilton, he received applause and an honour guard from the England team as he came out to bat for the last time. Fans hoped for two big sixes to bring him to 100 career sixes, but he failed to do so.
Tim Southee Falls Short of 100 Test Sixes, Finishes Joint-Fourth in All-Time List
Southee’s final Test innings ended when he holed out at long-on for 2. He ended his career with 98 sixes. Southee is joint fourth-most in Test history with Chris Gayle. Brendon McCullum is the only Kiwi batter to have hit more sixes than Southee. England skipper Ben Stokes leads the list with 133 sixes.
Most Sixes in Test Cricket:
| Player | Team | Matches | Sixes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Stokes | England | 110 | 133 |
| Brendon McCullum | New Zealand | 101 | 107 |
| Adam Gilchrist | Australia | 96 | 100 |
| Tim Southee | New Zealand | 107 | 98 |
| Chris Gayle | West Indies | 103 | 98 |
Never Felt So Much Pressure Coming Into Bat – Tim Southee
Speaking after the third day’s play, Tim Southee said that batting in his final Test innings was a strange feeling, but he enjoyed the experience and appreciated the support from teammates like Brendon McCullum. Southee admitted disappointment at missing out on 100 Test sixes in his career.
“It was a strange feeling. Never felt so much pressure coming into bat. But no, it was good fun. Been a great couple of days for the lads. He (McCullum) said something – didn’t quite hear him. But he’s obviously been there for a long part of it and been a great mate. Nice that he’s here for this final time as well,” Southee said.
“Any moment you take a wicket for NZ is a special time. Like I’ve said before, as a kid growing up, to take one wicket – every time you get that feeling. It’s a feeling I’ll certainly miss. It’s been such a big part of my life. Such an honour to do what I’ve been able to do. Next couple of days will hopefully be a good couple of days, but I’m sure an emotional couple of days as well. Sorry to disappoint (missing out on 100 Test sixes),” he concluded.
New Zealand set England a massive target of 658 runs. Tim Southee struck early by dismissing Ben Duckett in his first over, while Matt Henry continued his dominance over Zak Crawley, trapping him lbw for the sixth time in the series. At stumps on day 3, England scored 18 runs for two wickets.
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