Southee acknowledges doubts about leading New Zealand in Test matches on subcontinent tours following 2-0 defeat to Australia

Christchurch, March 11 (IANS) New Zealand’s Test captain Tim Southee has expressed uncertainty about leading the team in the upcoming Test series against Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and India later this year. Despite a strong performance, New Zealand faced a 31-year drought of winning a Test over Australia at home.

In a dramatic turn of events, Australia chased down 279 runs to secure a victory against New Zealand. Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey’s partnership of 140 runs proved to be pivotal in Australia’s win. Captain Pat Cummins also contributed with an unbeaten 32 runs to seal the victory for the visitors.

“We’ll see. Obviously, you go to Asia, the make-up of the side changes slightly with spin becoming the main threat in that part of the world. But we’ll see when we get there. We’ll deal with this tonight and look to move forward to what’s to come,” said Southee after the match, acknowledging the challenges ahead.

Despite the loss, Southee praised the efforts of Carey and Marsh and acknowledged the competitive nature of the Test match. He also addressed the issue of missed opportunities and highlighted the need to push further when playing against the best teams in the world.

Southee dismissed the notion that New Zealand’s fielding was to blame for the series loss, emphasizing that the team works hard on their fielding skills. He mentioned that while drops can be costly, it’s essential to focus on improving and learning from each match.

In conclusion, Southee denied claims of a mental block against Australia in Tests and emphasized the need to perform at their best when facing top-class teams. Despite the loss, he reflected on the competitiveness of the Test matches and remained optimistic about the team’s future performances.