"It's Been Long Time On Road But...": Tim Southee Denies Blaming CWC Fatigue For Loss vs Bangladesh
Published - 02 Dec 2023, 05:59 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:23 AM
New Zealand Test captain Tim Southee dismissed the idea that fatigue from the recent ODI World Cup contributed to his team’s loss in the first Test against Bangladesh. Tim Southee mentioned that players are well aware of the busy schedule and strive to stay fresh.
New Zealand suffered a 150-run loss in their first match of the World Test Championship 2023-25 at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. The New Zealand batters failed to deliver in the second innings and were bowled out for 181 runs on the last day of the series opener.
Part And Parcel Of Being An International Cricketer – Tim Southee
Speaking after the defeat in the first Test, Tim Southee emphasized that the team was in good spirits before the match and acknowledged that being on the road for an extended period is a common aspect of international cricket.
“We had a little bit of a break after the World Cup. But I think as players, you know that it’s a busy schedule,” said Southee.
“You know what’s in front of you. You’re trying to freshen up as well as you can. The guys were in good spirits before this. It’s been a long time on the road for some but that’s part and parcel of being an international cricketer.”
We’ll Keep Looking At Ways To Move Forward – Tim Southee
Southee stressed the importance of addressing the upcoming challenge and expressed the team’s commitment to improvement and moving forward after the defeat. He highlighted the players’ dedication to finding ways to enhance their game.
“Nothing changes for us. You worry about what’s in front of you, and what’s in front of us is a Test match in Dhaka. Our next challenge is to try and be better than what we’ve been here… as players, we look back on this and we’ll keep looking at ways to move forward,” he further added.
Southee defended New Zealand’s team selection in the first Test, considering conditions and the squad’s strengths. Southee credited the Bangladesh bowlers for their accuracy and acknowledged New Zealand’s need to build pressure for extended periods.
“You look at the conditions, and you look at the squad you’ve got, and you pick your best 11. You look at the bowling group and KJ (Jamieson) has been a phenomenal performer for us, Ish Sodhi was the man of the series in the last series that he played, and AJ (Patel) has been a great bowler for us,” Southee said.
“I think the Bangladesh bowlers bowled well, and (were) very accurate. We were probably a little bit off in terms of our ability to build pressure for long periods of time.”
Also read: “Trent Boult Isn’t Great, Tim Southee Not The Same Bowler..”- Aakash Chopra
