Cricket

New Zealand has always produced outstanding swing bowlers — the country’s finest, Richard Hadlee, ranks among the greatest fast-bowlers of all time. Tim Southee has also been remarkably successful and durable, after making his international debut way back in 2008. He played his 100th Test against Australia at Christchurch last month. The New Zealand Test captain, who has 380 Test, 221 ODI and 157 T20I wickets, spoke to The Hindu over the phone from Hamilton. Excerpts: Not too many pace bowlers — bowlers of any style, in fact —  have captained in Test cricket. How has the experience been for you? I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I worked closely with Brendon McCullum when he was captain and then Kane Williamson when he was captain. And I think for most sides there is also a leadership group that does a lot of the stuff. And I have been lucky to have Kane and Tom Latham, two guys that have both captained the side. I enjoy thinking about the game and yes, captaincy can also be challenging at times. New Zealand is placed third on the ICC World Test Championship table at the moment. How do you assess your team’s chances of making the final? We are obviously sitting in a pretty good position. We have got some tough matches coming up in the subcontinent. This is a big year with a lot of Test cricket, it is going to be tough. Brothers in arms: Southee has formed a longstanding and formidable new-ball alliance with Trent Boult (left). ‘We have a pretty good friendship. We know each other’s game pretty well… we complement each other extremely well,’ he says of their partnership. | Photo credit: Getty Images You have with Trent Boult formed one of cricket’s finest new-ball partnerships of all time. We have played a lot of cricket together. We played age-group cricket, domestic cricket, and played all three formats for New Zealand for over 10 years together. We have a pretty good friendship. We knew each other very well. We know each other’s game pretty well, so I think we complement each other extremely well. What are the factors that you think make Boult one of the most lethal bowlers in the shortest format, especially in the PowerPlay? His ability to swing the ball obviously has reflected in the amount of wickets he takes in that first over. Sometimes the white ball doesn’t swing for too long, but he really maximises those first few balls where you do get a little bit of movement. His numbers in the first over are incredible. He is very fit, keeps himself reasonably injury-free as well. India is now producing pace bowlers regularly. I am not surprised by it, having been a part of the IPL for a number of years. There are always some, not necessarily pace bowlers, but some breakthrough young cricketers that emerge every year from the IPL. And I think, of late, we have seen a number of pace bowlers emerge from various parts of India, and obviously this year is no different. And to see some of the Indian bowlers being able to clock over that 150 kmph and push late into those 150s is exciting to watch and I am sure it is very good for Indian cricket moving forward. So have you had a look at that 150 kmph bowler, Mayank Yadav? Yes. But I think the thing that is very pleasing that comes with his pace is his control. A lot of guys that have that out-and-out raw pace don’t always have the control. He looks to have control as well as pace. I am looking forward to following his progress not just at the IPL, but after it as well. The toughest batters you have bowled to over the years? That varies from format to format, but I think one player that was tough in all three formats was someone like A.B. de Villiers. Early on in my career, having to play against the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag as a 19 or 20-year-old was pretty daunting and challenging at times. But it is also a great challenge to test yourself against the best players in the world. The bowlers you have admired? I think growing up, Glenn McGrath was a bowler I admired. Jacques Kallis was a cricketer I admired, for his all-round ability. Growing up, the West Indian bowlers Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose were always nice to watch; the way they went about it was always enjoyable. If you look around now, someone like Jasprit Bumrah has been a quality player across all three formats, along with Pat Cummins and Kagiso Rabada. Yes, those three bowlers I have a lot of respect for. England began playing Bazball in the series against New Zealand back in 2022. Your thoughts on this style of Test cricket and its future, given the heavy defeat England suffered in India recently. They have had a lot of success playing that way. Everyone that has played in India knows it is a tough place to go. India are a very good side, especially at home. I am sure that knowing Brendon, England’s style won’t change. They have had a lot of success in England. They are going back to a home summer where they will continue to play that style, I guess. I think Test cricket in general is getting very exciting. Over the last four or five years, a lot of Test matches have been very exciting to watch. And I think the Test game has been exciting not only in England, but in other countries as well. Concerns have been expressed about the future of Test cricket… Yeah, I think everyone is slightly concerned with the future, with the amount of T20 cricket [being played]. But if you ask any player that plays Test cricket or plays all three formats, they will tell you Test cricket is the pinnacle. It is the toughest format….

Leadership grooming: Pradosh Ranjan or Jagadeesan will captain the team during the exposure tour to U.K. | Photo Credit: E. LAKSHMI NARAYANAN A 19-member Tamil Nadu team will be travelling to the U.K. from May 2 to 28 to play a series of matches across formats as part of the TNCA’s efforts to give exposure to the State players. The players have been selected across age categories, including under-19, under-23 and Ranji Trophy. Pradosh Ranjan Paul or N. Jagadeesan are likely to lead the side in turns. The team will play four two-day games, five one-day games, and a T20 against the U.K.-based teams, including the second XIs of counties like Notts, Northamptonshire, Hampshire, Essex and Warwickshire. The players will be accompanied by six support staff members, including Robin Singh, L. Balaji, Tanveer Jabbar, and K. Vasudevadas, as well as a physio and video analyst. Despite reaching the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy this year, TN has often struggled in seamer-friendly conditions over the last few years, and the tour has been arranged to expose players to different conditions. “We are not worried about the results. We just want our players to experience new conditions and learn. Apart from match days, we will also have nets sessions We plan to hire a batting consultant, like a former Test player, and a trainer for the duration of the tour,” said TNCA secretary R.I. Palani. Coaches training Meanwhile, former India fielding coach R. Sridhar, alongside G. Jayakumar and Dr. Kinjal Suratwala who are all part of Coaching Beyond, has been conducting workshops for TNCA coaches and those of the 37 district teams. A total of 148 coaches will attend these across four batches. The TNCA will also have four satellite centres ready this year. The centres in Trichy, Tiruppur, and Theni are already up and running, while the one in Madurai is under construction. T20 tournament The Association will also conduct a 16-team T20 tournament next month featuring winners and runners of the second and third divisions and the winners of all zones in the fourth, fifth and sixth divisions. The final will be played under lights at MAC Stadium on May 28. The TN squad: Pradosh Ranjan Paul, N. Jagadeesan, S. Lokeshwar, B. Sachin, R. Vimal Khumar, A. Badrinath, Boopathi Vaishna Kumar, Mokit Hariharan, S. Mohamed Ali, K.T.A. Madhava Prasad, P. Vidyuth, Lakshya Jain, V.S. Karthik Manikandan, R. Sonu Yadav, H. Trilok Nag, C.V. Achyuth, T.D. Lokesh Raj and V.P. Dhiran.