New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee has achieved an incredible milestone with his bowling. He has now attained a record that no other Kiwi bowler has been able to do till date. Southee has become the first Kiwi bowler to pick 300 wickets across all formats at home.
India is taking on New Zealand in the first game of the two-match Test series in Wellington. Having won the toss, the Kiwis invited the Men in Blue to bat first.
Southee and Kyle Jamieson were excellent with the ball in the first innings as they rattled through the Indian batting line-up while bowling them out for 165 runs in their first innings.
The Black Caps were also handy with the bat as they took a handsome lead of 183 runs after finishing their first innings, and now the Indian batsmen are under a lot of pressure to avoid their first Test defeat since the inception of ICC World Test Championship.
Tim Southee Achieves A New Landmark:
Southee has become the first bowler to clinch 300 wickets across all formats for New Zealand on their home soil. Southee achieved this feat in his 153rd match. He surpassed New Zealand great Daniel Vettori in the process who had picked 299 wickets in 193 matches.
Trent Boult stands third on the list with 277 wickets in 102 matches. Sir Richard Hadlee follows Boult with 250 wickets in 78 games for the Kiwis. Christopher Cairns is on the fifth spot with 204 wickets in 126 games.
Southee achieved this record on Day 3 of the first Test match between India and New Zealand. He dismissed the set batsman Mayank Agarwal who had scored a half-century and was on road to score a ton.
It will prove to be a crucial wicket in the context of the game as it will reduce India’s batsmen batting for long in the second innings.