Tim Southee Joins England Men’s Team as Specialist Skills Consultant

Tim Southee is back in the thick of international cricket – only this time, it’s from the dressing room rather than the middle. The former New Zealand pace ace is set to link up with England’s men’s team as a short-term coaching consultant for the summer.

Southee, 36, called time on his Test career in December after England clinched a 2-1 series win in New Zealand. He bowed out with a phenomenal tally of 776 wickets across formats, the most ever by a Kiwi bowler. Now, he will be stepping in for James Anderson, who’s focusing on his county stint with Lancashire. 

On Thursday, the ECB confirmed his appointment as a “Specialist Skills Consultant” on a short-term basis. “Former New Zealand international Tim Southee has joined the ECB as a Specialist Skills Consultant for the England Men’s teams on a short-term basis,” the board said in a statement. “Southee… will support England’s squads across all formats through to the conclusion of the Rothesay Test series against India. With his vast experience of playing in a wide range of conditions around the world and across all formats, he brings valuable insight and knowledge to the players.” 

Southee’s first task will be working with the squad ahead of England’s opening Test of the summer, against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge on May 22. His contract runs through the white-ball series against West Indies and the five-match Test series against India, finishing up after the Oval Test on August 4. He’ll be joining forces with his former skipper and long-time teammate Brendon McCullum, now England’s red-ball head coach. The pair shared the field 170 times for New Zealand – 78 of those under McCullum’s captaincy – and also teamed up at Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL and for Middlesex in the T20 Blast. 

Their camaraderie was on full display in Hamilton last year when McCullum gifted Southee a bottle of red wine signed by the entire England team after what turned out to be his final Test match. 

Southee effectively steps into the role James Anderson occupied last year after retiring at Lord’s, bringing with him not just his bowling expertise but a wealth of experience from around the world. While Anderson is still active at the domestic level, his focus for the summer is with Lancashire, having just recovered from a calf injury. After his short stint with England wraps up, Southee will return to playing duties in The Hundred, representing Birmingham Phoenix.