Timothy Grant Southee (born 11 December 1988) is a former New Zealand international cricketer who has captained New Zealand cricket team in all formats of the game. He is a right-arm medium-fast bowler and a hard-hitting lower order batsman. The third New Zealand bowler to take 300 Test wickets, he was one of the country's youngest cricketers, debuting at the age of 19 in February 2008. On his Test debut against England he took 5 wickets and made 77 off 40 balls in the second innings. He plays for Northern Districts in the Plunket Shield, Ford Trophy and Super Smash as well as Northland in the Hawke Cup. He was named as New Zealand's captain for the first T20I against West Indies in place of Kane Williamson, who was rested for that game. The Blackcaps won that match by 47 runs. Southee was a member of the New Zealand team that won the 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship. Southee's Test batting strike rate of 82.68 is the third highest among batsmen with a minimum of 2000 career runs. He was also a part of the New Zealand squads to finish as runners-up in two Cricket World Cup finals in 2015 and 2019.
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. Southee announced his retirement from Test cricket in 2024, finishing with 98 sixes (equal fourth highest) and 391 wickets (third highest for New Zealand) in the format.
Southee was born in Whangārei, New Zealand, and grew up in Northland. He was educated at Whangārei Boys' High School and King's College, Auckland. While at school, he excelled at both cricket and rugby, playing representative rugby for the Auckland Secondary School and Northern Region teams.
Southee is married to Brya Fahy. The couple have two daughters.
International youth representative
Southee played under-19 cricket for New Zealand from 2006 to 2009. His under-19 career included 13 one-day matches – 10 at ICC Under-19 World Cups – and a drawn three-match Youth Test series against India in early 2007. His last youth appearance was at the 2008 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, where he was player of the tournament.
Southee was 17 years old when he debuted in the 2006 ICC Under-19 World Cup on 5 February, against Bangladesh in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He also played against Pakistan, Ireland, the United States and Nepal in that tournament. He ended with 5 wickets at an average of 38.8, and 113 runs at 22.6. New Zealand lost the Plate Final to Nepal.
In 2007, Southee played his only three Youth Tests when New Zealand hosted India. In the second match of the series, which New Zealand won, he took 6–36 and 6–56. He finished the drawn series with 20 wickets at an average of 18.2.
By the time Southee appeared at his second ICC Under-19 World Cup, in Malaysia in 2008, he had already played two full Twenty20 internationals for New Zealand. His bowling saw him named the player of the tournament. He took 5/11 in New Zealand's first match, against Zimbabwe, and went on to take 17 wickets in five matches, averaging only 6.64 and conceding only 2.52 runs an over. Only South Africa's Wayne Parnell took more wickets (18), although he played one more match. Southee's last under-19 appearance was New Zealand's semi-final loss to eventual champions India, a rain-affected match in which he took 4/29.
Within a month, Southee played in his debut test match. The youth squads he played in included other future internationals Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill, Trent Boult, Corey Anderson, Hamish Rutherford, and Hamish Bennett.
Southee began his international career as one of the youngest ever to feature for New Zealand. He has become a regular member of the international team in all three formats – Twenty20, one-day internationals, and test matches.
First Twenty20 matches for New Zealand
New Zealand's selectors and coaches took great interest in Southee while he was still playing youth cricket. In 2007 national bowling coach Dayle Hadlee took him to India. Hadlee later said that while there Dennis Lillee had compared Southee's talent to that of Glenn McGrath when he was young. Hadlee, brother of New Zealand Cricket Selection Manager Sir Richard Hadlee, also said that he'd been "whispering in Black Caps coach John Bracewell's ear about the possibility of taking Southee on the upcoming tour of England."
While in the selectors' eye Southee took 6/68 in the first innings of a first class match against Auckland in early December (the innings ended on his 19th birthday). Within a fortnight he was picked to play for a New Zealand XI team in a Twenty20 match against a Bangladesh team on 23 December 2007. The game, played at Northern Districts' home ground of Seddon Park in Hamilton, was a charity match for cyclone relief in Bangladesh, and not a full international. Southee bowled three overs and took 1/31.
On 30 January 2008, Southee was named in the New Zealand squad for two Twenty20 International games against England. Selection manager Sir Richard Hadlee said:
Why delay producing a player of some talent? Perhaps I could compare him with Brendon McCullum when he started – he had a lot of potential. It might take a lot of time for Tim to find his feet but why wait two or three years when someone is in a special category? The feedback we're getting is that this guy has got it.
Southee's international debut took place two years to the day after he had first played under-19 cricket for New Zealand, on 5 February 2008 in Auckland. He took 1/38. In the second match, Southee was New Zealand's best bowler with figures of 2/22 from four overs.
Most of the New Zealand squad stayed together for the first three one day matches that followed, but Southee rejoined the national Under-19 team for the 2008 Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia.