Southee deciding to step down as NZ Test skipper was in best interest of team, says Stead

New Delhi, Oct 13 (IANS) New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said veteran pacer Tim Southee made the decision to step down as Test skipper after the 2-0 series defeat to Sri Lanka in the best interest of the team, and provide them with greater flexibility to select their playing eleven.

2024 has seen Southee be in a lean run in Tests, seen from him taking eight wickets at an average of 73.12. But the veteran pacer has an impressive Test record in India – taking 20 wickets at an average of 28.70, including a career-best 7-64 at Bengaluru in 2012.

"Like all Test tours and series we have reviews at the end of it and Tim and I had a conversation around it, then he made the decision to stand down. He thought it was in the best interests of the team. I supported his decision around that."

"It allows different players to be considered in roles and as a selector and coach you are always trying to put what you think is the very best team out there. With Tim as captain, he was the guy who was starting for us and leading that team and think we were always looking at the options that were best for the team going forward," said Stead to reporters.

He also revealed Southee is working with bowling coach Jacob Oram on trying to rediscover his best self with the ball in Tests. "From my conversations with Tim he recognised he hasn't been at his best but there's certainly no desire to not get back there. He's working hard in the background, he's doing everything he can and trying to rediscover what that little thing he feels is missing is.

"There's a couple of little technical points Tim's working on. He's working with Oram around them. We've looked back at quite a bit of video from previous years and times he's played in India and had success. It's just trying to rediscover that and find a little bit, I guess you could call it snap back into his action."

Adding that he was yet to look the pitch at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Stead signed off by saying New Zealand might play with three seamers against India at Bengaluru, which means they would rely on off-spinner Glenn Phillips and left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel for slow-bowling department duties.

"Going on past conditions here, I think the decision for us to make will be whether we play three seamers, or just the two. “It's interesting, as when you look at the last series that India have just played, against Bangladesh – albeit not at this ground – they have played three seamers in their own conditions, so that’s a possibility."

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