Tim Southee’s top 3 performances in T20I Cricket

Tim Southee is one of those players who has an air of inevitability around him. He has been there for New Zealand in all formats of the game for more than a decade. The evolution of New Zealand’s bowling attack has coincided with Tim Southee’s evolution as a cricketer. In this article, we will emphasize his top 3 performances in T20 cricket.

1. 5/18 vs Pakistan, 2010

In T20 cricket, Southee’s most valuable performance for New Zealand came against Pakistan in the first match of the T20I series between the two teams. Ross Taylor won the toss for New Zealand and elected to field first. The Kiwi bowling attack lived up to their captain’s expectations and bowled brilliantly in the first innings. Southee was the pick of the bowlers with his 5-wicket haul. With the help of Southee’s spell, New Zealand restricted Pakistan to 143 runs in the first innings and chased down that total in the second innings to bag the match. 

2. 5/25 vs UAE, 2023

Following a superb spell against Pakistan is another magnificent bowling performance against UAE. The Black Caps batted first in the match and made 155 runs to put an emerging side like UAE under pressure. In the second innings, Southee made it difficult for UAE to chase that target. The experienced fast bowler gave early blows to UAE and added a few more wickets in the later phase of the innings. New Zealand won this match by a small margin of 19 runs which reflects how crucial was Southee’s performance with the ball. 

3. 4/21 vs Pakistan, 2020

Pakistan was one of the favorite oppositions for Tim Southee, especially in limited-overs cricket. Here’s another performance from Southee where he dominated the Pakistani batters and paved the way for New Zealand’s emphatic win. His 4 wickets were crucial in preventing Pakistan from posting a massive target on the board. He dismissed the likes of Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique among others to weaken the Pakistan batting order.