AUCKLAND: Tim Southee stepped down as New Zealand’s Test captain on Wednesday after their 2-0 defeat to Sri Lanka and handed the reins to opening batsman Tom Latham for the India series.

Veteran pace bowler Sout­hee has struggled for form since the home summer when he took six wickets at an average of more than 70 against a second-string South Africa and Australia.

The Sri Lanka sweep, capped by a humiliating inni­ngs and 154-run loss in Galle last week, was the Black Caps’ fourth Test defeat in succession either side of the washed-out match against Afghanistan.

It left Southee with a record of six wins, six losses and two draws from his 14 Tests in charge after taking over from Kane Williamson in late-2022.

The 35-year-old said he had resolved to quit the captaincy after a discussion with head coach Gary Stead and was hopeful of getting back to his best without the burden of leadership.

“It was my decision to move aside and it’s now Tom’s time to keep moving this team forward,” Southee told reporters at Auckland airport after arriving home from Sri Lanka.

Asked if the captaincy was behind his decline in form, Southee said: “You look at results and it hasn’t been ideal the last wee while. You could probably marry the two up and say that.

“But it was a job I really enjoyed doing.”

Latham, who has captained the Test side on nine previous occasions, will lead a 15-strong squad including Southee to India.

“He’s obviously had a taste over a period of time as well,” said Southee, New Zealand’s second-highest test wicket-taker of all-time with 382 victims.

“He’s a great leader amongst the guys and I wish him all the best. I’ll be there to support him along the way.”

India, riding a record winning streak of 18 Test series on home soil after a 2-0 defeat of Bangladesh, host New Zealand in three Tests starting in Bangalore on Oct. 16.

Since winning the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021, New Zealand have been a fading force in the sport’s longest format and struggled to regenerate following the international retirements of seasoned campaigners.

Southee was New Zealand’s leading bowler with eight wickets on the last tour of India in 2021 when the hosts won the two-match series 1-0.

However, his haul was dwarfed by the tallies of India’s leading spinners and underlined New Zealand’s dearth of quality slow bowlers.

“My record in the subcontinent’s been pretty good over the years,” he said. “I’d like to think that I could still contribute in that part of the world.”

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2024