Southee is known for his ability to generate late outswing at a brisk pace, and later with off cutting slower balls almost like a faster off-spinner on a damp wicket and death bowling. He was the third-highest wicket-taker at the 2011 ICC World Cup (18 wickets at 17.33). He also impressed at the 2015 ICC World Cup, taking 7 wickets in a round robin league match against England. This performance was named Wisden's ODI spell of the decade.

Early and Personal Life

Southee was born in Whangarei, New Zealand and grew up in Northland. He attended Whangarei Boys' High School and King's College in Auckland. During his school years he excelled at both cricket and rugby, playing representative rugby for Auckland Secondary School and Northern Region teams.

Southee is married to Brya Fahy. The couple have two daughters.

Cooper Southee is the Son of Tim Southee.

International Youth Representative

Southee played U19 cricket for New Zealand from 2006 to 2009. His U19 career spanned 13 one-day matches – 10 at ICC U19 World Cups – and a three-match youth Test series tie against India in early 2007. His last youth appearance was at the 2008 ICC U19 Cricket World Cup, where he was Player of the Tournament.

Southee was 17 when he made his debut against Bangladesh in the ICC World Under-19 Championship on February 5, 2006 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He also played against Pakistan, Ireland, United States and Nepal in this tournament. He finished with 5 wickets at a 38.8 average and 113 carries at 22.6. New Zealand lost the plate finals to Nepal.

In 2007, Southee played his only three youth Tests when New Zealand hosted India. In the second game of the series, which New Zealand won, he took 6-36 and 6-56. He finished the drawn streak with 20 wickets on an 18.2 average.

By the time Southee appeared at his second ICC U19 World Championship in Malaysia in 2008, he had already earned two full Twenty20 caps for New Zealand. His bowling saw him named Player of the Tournament. He took 5/11 in New Zealand's first game against Zimbabwe and went on to win 17 wickets in five games, averaging just 6.64 and conceding just 2.52 runs per over. Only South Africa's Wayne Parnell took more wickets (18) despite playing one more match. Southee's last Under-19 appearance was New Zealand's semi-final loss to eventual champions India, a rain-affected game in which he won 4/29.

Within a month, Southee was playing in his first Test match. The youth teams he played for included other future internationals such as Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill, Trent Boult, Corey Anderson, Hamish Rutherford and Hamish Bennett.

International Career

Southee began his international career as one of the youngest ever to play for New Zealand. In all three formats - Twenty20, one-day internationals and friendlies - he has become a permanent member of the national team.

First Twenty20 Games for New Zealand

New Zealand selectors and coaches took a keen interest in Southee when he was playing youth cricket. In 2007, national bowling coach Dayle Hadlee took him to India. Hadlee later said that Dennis Lillee was there comparing Southee's talent to Glenn McGrath's when he was young. Hadlee, brother of New Zealand cricket selection manager Sir Richard Hadlee, also said he had "whispered in the ear of Black Caps manager John Bracewell about the possibility of taking Southee on the upcoming tour of England".

While Southee in the eye of the selectors won 6/68 in the first innings of a top-flight game against Auckland in early December (the innings ended on his 19th birthday). Within two weeks he was selected to play for a New Zealand XI team on 23 December 2007 in a Twenty20 game against a Bangladesh team. The game, played at Seddon Park, home of the Northern Districts in Hamilton, was a charity game for Bangladesh's cyclone relief efforts and not a full international one. Southee bowled three overs and took 1/31.

On 30 January 2008, Southee was called up to the New Zealand squad for two Twenty20 International games against England. Selection Manager Sir Richard Hadlee said:
"Why delay bringing up a talented player? Maybe I could compare him to Brendon McCullum when he started - he had a lot of potential. It could take Tim a long time to settle down but why wait two or three years when he does ." someone is in a special category? The feedback we're getting is that this guy has it."

Southee's international debut came in Auckland on 5 February 2008, exactly two years to the day after he first played U19 cricket for New Zealand. He took 1/38. In the second game, Southee was New Zealand's top bowler with numbers of 2/22 from four overs.

Most of the New Zealand squad stayed together for the first three consecutive one-day games, but Southee returned to the U19 national team for the 2008 U19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia.

Test Match Debut

England were still touring New Zealand when Southee returned home from the 2008 U19 World Cup as player of the tournament. The one-day streak was over, but the three-match test was just around the corner. Southee was included in the squad and made his Test match debut on 22 March 2008 when Kyle Mills pulled out of the third friendly at Napier through injury. At just 19 years and 102 days, he was New Zealand's seventh youngest Test debut.

He had an immediate impact on day one, sacking Michael Vaughan and Andrew Strauss in his second and third overs, and later claiming the wicket from Kevin Pietersen. On day two he took two more wickets and completed a five wicket first move that ended 5-55. During New Zealand's second inning, while chasing 553, Southee hit New Zealand's fastest half-century in 29 balls. His innings, which ended on 77* from just 40 balls, included nine sixes and four fours.

Only four other Test cricketers had hit more sixes in an innings - Wally Hammond, Nathan Astle, Matthew Hayden and Wasim Akram.

This was New Zealand's last home game of the summer.

Season 2008 (Northern Summer)

At the end of the 2007/08 season, Southee was named the country's most promising cricketer in a poll of New Zealand's top cricketers. In April, he received one of New Zealand Cricket's 20 player contracts, placing him among the players with "the most likely future value for the Black Caps over the next 12 months".

His rise was reflected in his selection for his first full international tour, visiting England, Ireland and Scotland in May–July. He played a single test match at Lord's, winning 0/59 in a draw and seven one-day internationals (five against England and one each against the other two hosts). In the ODIs he took 16 wickets, averaging 16.93.

In October, New Zealand visited Bangladesh to play three ODIs and two Tests. Southee only played the ODIs and together took two wickets for 114. Ahead of the Tests, captain Daniel Vettori said there was a position on the team for either Iain O'Brien or Southee. The position went to O'Brien.

2008/09 Season in New Zealand

During the summer of 2008–09, Southee competed for a place on the New Zealand team with more experienced bowlers such as Iain O'Brien and Ian Butler. He eluded breakthrough performances like last summer's five-wicket bags despite playing 19 games for his country.

New Zealand's summer began with a brief tour to Australia for two friendlies. Southee averaged 5/225 in those matches and went wicketless in the second. Australia won the series easily. Later in the summer, New Zealand returned to Australia for five ODIs and a Twenty20 match.

The first incoming tourists of the summer were the West Indies, beginning with a Test series for which Southee was dropped. He returned to the Northern Districts for the first time since last season. The national team picked Southee again for two Twenty20s over which he posted 2/83 and five ODIs (5/180, with two games tied due to rain).

In February 2009, New Zealand visited Australia for a five-game Chappell-Hadlee Trophy ODI series and a single Twenty20. Southee played all of the one-day games but only took three wickets with an 84.33 average. The series was drawn 2-2 and Australia retained the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy. In the Twenty20 match, which was a 1-run win for Australia, Southee took 1/31.

New Zealand finished the summer hosting India for two Twenty20s, five ODIs and three Tests. With Kyle Mills injured, Southee played both Twenty20 games, posting 1/42 and 1/36. New Zealand named a 12-man squad for the first three ODIs, with Mills returning along with Southee and Seam bowlers Iain O'Brien and Ian Butler. Originally, Southee and Butler were viewed as competitors for a spot. Butler played all three games, but Southee replaced Iain O'Brien in the third. He was batted for 105 runs without taking a wicket and then fell out of the squad.

Southee only played in the third Test, ahead of Mills and Jeetan Patel. India continued to dominate him and his 30 overs in both innings cost 152 runs for just 3 wickets. The match was a draw, letting India win the series 1-0.

Southee was not selected to play full international cricket during the Southern winter, which included the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2009 ICC World Twenty20.

2009 Winter Season – Lower Level Internationals

Southee retained one of New Zealand Cricket's 20 player contracts for the 12 months beginning 1 August 2009, but was banned from Black Caps teams during the winter season. Instead he played as a New Zealand up-and-coming player and for New Zealand A. His results were encouraging but Shane Bond's return to international cricket gave him another rival for international selection.

In late July and early August, the Australian Institute of Sport hosted a four-team tournament, including teams of "up and coming players" from New Zealand, India and South Africa. The tournament combined both Twenty20 matches (New Zealand played two) and one-day matches (six). Southee played all eight games for New Zealand and finished with 12 wickets - twice as many as any of his teammates - at 28.66. He was hitting fast runs on 55 balls from 56 in the one-day games. New Zealand won only one game.

Within a week of completing the tournament in Australia, Southee arrived in Chennai, India for four two-day games and a 50-over match with the New Zealand senior team. Southee took just three wickets (one in each New Zealand bowling inning, with one game ruined by rain) in the two-day games. In the one-day game, he lost 3/37 of six overs.

2009-2010 Season

After missing the 2009 winter season, Southee became a regular for New Zealand in the summer of 2009–10, capturing 18 of the season's 22 caps against Pakistan, Bangladesh and Australia. He also played ten HRV Cup games for the Northern Districts in January.

With bowler Daryl Tuffey unavailable due to a broken hand, Southee regained a spot on the New Zealand side, which traveled to Abu Dhabi and Dubai to play three ODIs and two Twenty20s against Pakistan. Before series captain and backup coach Daniel Vettori said he hopes Southee can "cement" his place in the squad. Vettori selected him for all five games over which he won seven wickets (four in the ODIs, three in Twenty20s).

The teams moved to New Zealand for three series of tests. Prior to the series, Southee played against the Tourists in a three-day game for an invitational XI, but he "didn't think I bowled very well" and was left out for the first two Tests. He returned to the Northern Districts and immediately took 8/27 in a Plunket Shield match against Wellington, the third-best piece in Northern Districts history. (The Wellington match was marred by a two-day suspension for Southee for swearing.) He was added to the New Zealand team for the third and final Test in Napier, opening bowling and taking three wickets.

In February, Bangladesh visited New Zealand for three ODIs, a Twenty20 and a Test. Southee went wicketless in the Twenty20 and the first ODI and then missed the second ODI. He returned with three wickets in the third. In the one-off Test, he opened the bowling and took four wickets over two innings. New Zealand won by 121 runs giving them a clean win at the Tour.

Australia's tour included two Twenty20s, five ODIs and two Tests. Southee played all of these matches except for the first Twenty20. His streak started slowly, with just two wickets in his first five games. But in the last ODI he took 4/36 and was man of the match in a 51-run win (the match was a dead rubber).

Australia won the test series with ease. In the first match, New Zealand took just five wickets, none of them falling to Southee. In the second, New Zealand began bowling Australia for 231. Southee had four wickets in the first innings and added two more top-shelf scalps in the second. His two batting records -- 22 not out and 45, respectively -- were his best since his debut Test.

2010 Season

Ahead of the 2011 World Cup, New Zealand's 2010 Northern Tours focused on short forms of cricket. The team played five games at the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 in West Indies, a historic Twenty20 series with two games against Sri Lanka in the United States, four ODIs in a tri-series with Sri Lanka and India, a five-ODI series Bangladesh, then five ODIs and three tests in India. The tour to India lasted until December.

Southee was a roster member for every series of the season, playing in 14 of those 24 games.

Ten months after missing selection for the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, Southee played the first three of New Zealand's five games in the 2010 edition, winning a single wicket in each but finding form. New Zealand was eliminated in the "Super 8" phase.

New Zealand and Sri Lanka then played two games at Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida. This was the first time that full ICC members played each other in the United States. In the two games, Southee threw just four overs and finished with a combined 0/25.

The three subcontinental countries that New Zealand toured to in 2010 were scheduled to host the ICC World Cup in March and April 2011. The tours were viewed as important pre-Cup training, but New Zealand lost every series. Southee took six wickets in seven ODIs (including four in a match) and four wickets in two Tests.

In August, New Zealand played a triangular one-day tournament hosted by Sri Lanka and India. They played four games, all in Dambulla, and selected Southee for the second (a loss against Sri Lanka) and the fourth (a "comprehensive strike" against India) in which he won four wickets. New Zealand finished third.

It wasn't until October that New Zealand toured again, this time to Bangladesh for five ODIs in Dhaka. The tourists were "thoroughly dubbed throughout the series" and didn't win a match. Southee played in two of the matches without taking a wicket.

The team to India played three Tests (first since March) and five ODIs. New Zealand did not win a game, although the first two tests ended in a draw. Southee missed the first Test but replaced Jeetan Patel for the last two. He took four wickets on an average of 56. He played in three of the ODIs but did not bowl in the last of them (India's chase only lasted 22 overs) and won 1/97 overall.

2010–11 Season: Pakistan in New Zealand

With the 2011 ICC World Cup starting in February, New Zealand hosted just one tour for the summer. Pakistan was visited for three Twenty20s, two Tests and six ODIs. Southee missed only one ODI and played all other games. He became the third bowler (and second New Zealander) to score a hat-trick in a Twenty20 international, and also won his first ODI five-wicket bag.

The Twenty20 series began on Boxing Day in Auckland, where Southee was named man of the match. He ended the sixth over of the game in a wicket. In his next over he scored a hat-trick - only his third in Twenty20 international cricket - and handed him four first-class wickets in five balls. He finished 5/18 in four overs – his best numbers in Twenty20 internationals at the time. New Zealand won the match. Southee also took consecutive wickets in the second match, finishing at 2/26. In the third he took 1/53. His bowling average for the series was 12.1.

On the first day of the first Test, Pakistan took seven wickets in 65 overs. Southee, who batted at 8, played with Kane Williamson until the end of the 90-over day in a partnership that "prevented Pakistan's complete dominance", earning his second Test in half a century in the process. The next morning, he was out for 56, making him the joint top scorer for the innings. Southee also took two first-inning wickets, but over the second and third days Pakistan easily won the match. Established as one of New Zealand's inaugural bowlers, Southee added two wickets in each inning of the second Test. This gave his 6 for the series, averaging 40.5. He also scored another 23 runs in a tied game. Both his batting and bowling averages for the series were better than his previous Test career averages.

Southee played five of the six ODIs. One was washed out in the third over, effectively making it a five-game series. Pakistan won 3-2. In game one, Southee won another man of the match by taking his first ODI five-wicket pocket, including three in his opening spell. His 5/33 helped knock out Pakistan for 134, giving his team an easy chase.

His numbers faded as the series progressed, however, and he didn't take wickets in the last two games he played (the fourth and sixth of the series). In the entire series he took 7/217, averaging 31.

He was named T20 Player of the Year by NZC for the 2010–11 season.

2011 ICC Cricket World Cup

Southee was the third-highest wicket-taker at the 2011 World Cup, hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. He was named the 12th man and the only New Zealander in the 'Team of the Tournament' by the ICC after finishing with 18 wickets at 5.33pm (Shahid Afridi and Zaheer Khan jointly led the wicket-takers). He opened bowling in seven of New Zealand's eight games and was the first substitution in the others. New Zealand fielded 12 bowlers in the tournament, with only Southee and Nathan McCullum bowling in all of their games.

Southee's best figures came from New Zealand's win over eventual semi-finalists Pakistan. He took 3/25 with every dismissed batsman playing in Pakistan's top 5. He won wickets in all of New Zealand's matches, including three each against Kenya, Zimbabwe and twice Sri Lanka – in the group stage and first semi-final.

The New Zealand team employed former South African fast bowler Allan Donald as bowling coach from January 2011. His work has been credited with contributing much to Southee's improvement and success at the World Championships. Towards the end of the tournament, Donald predicted that Southee could be the best swing bowler in world cricket:

The first thing I said to [Tim Southee] when I met him was, 'I want you to take responsibility for leading this attack. As young as you are I want you to take on that responsibility because you could be the best swing bowler in world cricket in the next year or so. I think he can add the inswinger to the right hander and that's something that I need to bring to his game to add some variety.

New Zealand ended the tournament defeated in the semifinals. He was named by the ICC as the 12th man in the "Team of the Tournament" for the 2011 World Cup.

Twenty20s in India and England in 2011

Tim Southee IPL Southee was passed over at the 2011 IPL player auction in January but shortly after New Zealand were eliminated from the World Cup his form led to the Chennai Super Kings signing him for the 2011 IPL season which started on April 8th. Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming's last Test appearance for New Zealand had coincided with Southee's first.

Tim Southee IPL 2021 In his IPL debut, Southee helped the Super Kings to a two-run win over the Kolkata Knight Riders by conceding just 6 runs in the final over of the game. By playing the IPL, Southee gave up the chance to join Essex for their home summer, but he did join them for the Friends Life t20 2011 after the IPL. During a win over Glamorgan, Southee recorded 6/16, including a hat-trick, to set the record for best bowling figures for Essex in a T20.

On 26 August 2021, Southee was included in the Kolkata Knight Riders squad for the second phase of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) in UAE.

2011–12 season (Southern Summer)

New Zealand's season began with a brief tour to Zimbabwe, which included their first friendly since January 2011 ten months ago. Southee was injured on that tour, his knee had not recovered. Instead, his season kicked off with the Northern Districts' top-flight games and proved his fitness with a 7-37 first-inning win over Wellington.

Northern Season 2012

On the West Indies tour there were 2 T20Is, 5 ODIs and 2 Tests. In a difficult tour, NZ only won 1 ODI and lost all other internationals.

In the 5-match ODI series, Southee was the top New Zealand wicket-taker with 10.

Neil Wagner and Doug Bracewell's partners Trent Boult and Southee were called up for the 2nd Test at Sabina Park and took 4 and 3 wickets respectively.

The schedule for New Zealand's tour to Sri Lanka included a Twenty20 game (abandoned due to rain), five ODIs (two abandoned, three affected by rain and won by Sri Lanka) and two Test matches.

Southee played all three ODIs to count and only took two wickets. In the fourth ODI, he recorded three wickets before rain interrupted his over and eventually caused the match to be abandoned.

The Test series was a game-long draw - including New Zealand's first win in Sri Lanka in over a decade - and Southee played a key role. He took 12 wickets at an under-14 average. ESPNCricinfo rated him as the best of the New Zealanders, saying that "the evidence of this streak means he can be an effective spearhead for New Zealand for years to come".

2012–13 Season (Southern Summer)

At the start of the summer of 2012–13, national captain Brendon McCullum recognized Southee as "our number 1 bowler", an assessment that also applied when New Zealand toured South Africa in December and January without Southee, who stayed behind for the birth of his first child and then injured his thumb during a national game.

On 14 February, Southee returned to cricket after two months. He played for the Northern Districts in the Plunket Shield, taking 1 wicket and scoring 3 runs. His form and the absence of Mitchell McCleneghan led to a selection for the squad to play against the England touring team.

Southee returned to the New Zealand Test side for the three-game series against England. He took just one wicket in the first two games, but returned to his form in the third game at Eden Park Southee, taking 5 wickets as New Zealand fell one wicket short of a series win over the Tourists.

Season 2013 (Northern Summer)

In May 2013, New Zealand traveled to England for two more friendlies. Southee led the New Zealand attack and bowled superbly to take a career-best 10 wickets in the first Test at Lord's (becoming the first New Zealander to do so since Dion Nash). He also rolled well in the second Test at Headingley and was widely considered unlucky to finish with just 2 wickets.

2014-15 and Cricket World Cup

In the first half of 2014, Southee further established himself as one of the top new ball bowlers in the world, leading New Zealand by 11 wickets in a string of consistent performances to a Test series victory over a touring side from India. He then led the New Zealand bowlers again on their tour of the West Indies. Southee won 11 wickets again as New Zealand won their first away series against major opponents in 12 years. By the end of the tour, Southee had risen to 6th in the ICC bowling world rankings. For his performances in 2014 he was included in the World Test XI by the ICC.

In the 2015 Cricket World Cup group match in Wellington, he scored his best bowling result of his career with 7/33 against England. Opponents were rolled out for 123 and the Black Caps won by 8 wickets with Southee being named man of the match.

2016 - Today

Coming at no.10 against India at Dharamshala, Southee scored his first half century in ODIs. This was the fifth highest by any player in ODIs at no. 10 position. After getting dropped in the 1st test versus South Africa for Jeetan Patel he came on as a substitute fielder and caught Hashim Amla.

In May 2018, he was one of twenty players to be awarded a new contract for the 2018–19 season by New Zealand Cricket.

On June 3, 2018, he was selected to play for the Vancouver Knights in the players' draft for the inaugural edition of the Global T20 Canada tournament. In August 2019, in the series against Sri Lanka, Southee became the fourth bowler for New Zealand to take 250 wickets in Test cricket. In August 2019, Southee equaled the tally of sixes by the legend Sachin Tendulkar in test cricket with 69 sixes. On 29 December 2020, in the First Test of the series against Pakistan, Southee became the third bowler for New Zealand to take 300 wickets in Test cricket.

Southee played his first match in the 2019 Cricket world cup against England on 3 July 2019 at the Riverside Ground. It was his only match played in the entire CWC 2019. In that match, he had bowled 9 overs (54 balls) giving out 70 runs and taking 1 wicket at an economy of 7.78 in bowling. With the bat, he scored 7*(16) with no boundaries at the strike rate of 43.75. In August 2021, Southee was named in New Zealand's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

In November 2022, during India tour of New Zealand, Southee claimed his second hat-trick in T20Is and joined Sri Lankan bowling legend Lasith Malinga in an elite list of T20I bowlers who have taken more than one hat-trick in the shortest format of the game.

In February 2023, Tim Southee made history by becoming the first player from New Zealand to reach 700 international wickets. He achieved this unprecedented milestone during the 2nd Test of England's tour of New Zealand, 2023, when he dismissed Ben Duckett.

Captaincy

Southee was named stand-in T20I captain for the first T20I against West Indies. On 29 December 2017, he made his T20I captaincy debut. Under his captaincy, New Zealand won the match. Southee again captained New Zealand for first T20I against Pakistan as Kane Williamson was ruled out due to an injury. New Zealand won the match by 7 wickets.

Southee was named as the captain for the ODI series against England at home due to regular captain Kane Williamson was dropped from the squad due to injury. On 28 February against England, Southee made ODI captaincy debut for New Zealand In April 2019, he was named the vice-captain of New Zealand's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. In August 2019, against Sri Lanka, he was named stand-in T20I captain for New Zealand as regular captain Kane Williamson was rested. In October 2019, Kane Williamson was ruled out of T20I series against England due to a hip injury, with Southee named as captain.

After defeat in the first Test, New Zealand recorded a Test victory by a single run against England on 28th Feb 2023. This came after the New Zealand was asked to follow-on. They became the second team, after West Indies, to win a Test match just by this margin and just the fourth time a team won after following-on.

Play Style

Southee, a right arm medium fast out-swing bowler. While not as quick as fellow new-ball bowler Trent Boult (and the fact that he doesn't keep bowling at 136–141 km/h for long spells in tests), Southee's meticulous accuracy and well-disguised variations have allowed him to develop into a real spearhead. In 2008 when Southee was first selected in the national team Richard Hadlee remarked of him "He runs in relatively straight, he gets through his action nicely and he moves the ball, particularly away from the batsman". He also established himself as the new opening bowling attack partnership with Boult, having taken 46% of all wickets between them since 2013, especially since the retirement of Chris Martin. In seaming conditions or bowling with an older ball, he tends to bowl more cross-seam deliveries. In damp pitches, he tends to bowl off cutters akin to a fast off spin. In tests, they are also well complemented by Neil Wagner's short left-arm seam deliveries.

International Cricket Five Wicket Hauls

Southee has taken 20 five-wicket hauls in international cricket. He took his first on his Test debut, against England at McLean Park, Napier in 2008, becoming the sixth New Zealander to take a five-wicket haul on Test debut, taking figures of 5/55 in the first innings. His best innings figures in Tests are 7/64, taken against India at Bangalore in 2012.

His best ODI figures are the 7/33 he took against England during the 2015 Cricket World Cup. His best figures in a T20I are 5/18, taken against Pakistan in 2010.