Wellington: New Zealand pacer and former captain Tim Southee will retire from Test cricket after the upcoming three-match home series against England, said the country’s cricket board on Friday.
However, Southee will be available for selection in case New Zealand qualifies for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final next June.
The series against England will have the first two Tests in Christchurch (November 28 to December 2) and Wellington (December 6 to 10), respectively. The final match will be played at Southee’s home ground of Seddon Park in Hamilton from December 14 to 18.
Southee, who will be 36 by the time the third Test starts in Hamilton, will also take a call on his white-ball future as the Kiwis host Sri Lanka for three T20Is and three ODIs from December 28.
Southee has played 104 Tests for New Zealand and taken 385 wickets, placing him second behind Sir Richard Hadlee (431) on New Zealand’s all-time list.
The right-arm pacer, who made his Test debut against England in 2008, is the most successful New Zealand bowler across formats with 770 scalps. He is the only player in the world to take more than 300 Test wickets, 200 ODI wickets and 100 T20I wickets.
