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Tim Southee: Leading Wicket Taker In New Zealand Cricket History

At the end of the historic Pakistan tour, the 34-year-old right-arm pacer Tim Southee is now the leading wicket-taker in New Zealand international cricket history.

Sandipan Ghosh
Last updated: 16.01.2023
Tim Southee Leading Wicket Taker In New Zealand Cricket History

At the end of the historic Pakistan tour, the 34-year-old right-arm pacer Tim Southee is now the leading wicket-taker in New Zealand international cricket history.

Last Friday (13 January 2023), New Zealand won the thrilling three-match ODI series decider by two wickets and recorded their first ODI bilateral series win in Pakistan (a series with at least two ODIs).


Tim Southee has taken 697 international wickets

During that last ODI, Tim Southee picked up crucial three wickets in the death overs as he finished with the bowling figures of 10-0-56-3. When he dismissed the set Pakistan batter Agha Salman (45) in his last over, Southee surpassed the legendary Blackcaps all-rounder Daniel Vettori on the top spot in the list of New Zealand’s leading wicket-taker in international cricket history.

While the left-arm spinner Vettori took 696 wickets in his international career, the right-arm pacer Southee has taken 697 international wickets. Southee is three wickets away from becoming the 10th pacer and first New Zealand bowler to complete 700 international wickets.  


New Zealand’s most wicket-taker: International Cricket


Player

Bowling style

Wickets taken

Tim Southee

Right-arm medium fast

697

Daniel Vettori

Slow left-arm orthodox

696

Sir Richard Hadlee

Right-arm fast

589

Trent Boult

Left-arm fast medium

578

Chris Cairns

Right-arm fast medium

419

 

New Zealand’s most wicket-taker: Test


Legendary cricketer Sir Richard Hadlee is still New Zealand’s leading Test wicket-taker, while Southee is in the third place in the list of most Test wickets for the Black Caps.

Player

Bowling style

Wickets taken

Sir Richard Hadlee

Right-arm fast

431

Daniel Vettori

Slow left-arm orthodox

361

Tim Southee

Right-arm medium fast

353

Trent Boult

Left-arm fast medium

317

Neil Wagner

Left-arm medium fast

247

 

New Zealand’s most wicket-taker: ODI


In the meantime, Daniel Vettori is the record holder in most ODI wickets for New Zealand. Once again, Southee is in the third spot on the list of New Zealand’s most ODI wicket-takers.

Player

Bowling style

Wickets taken

Daniel Vettori

Slow left-arm orthodox

297

Kyle Mills

Right-arm fast medium

240

Tim Southee

Right-arm medium fast

210

Chris Harris

Right-arm medium

203

Chris Cairns

Right-arm fast medium

200

 

 

New Zealand’s most wicket-taker: T20I


Southee is not only New Zealand’s most T20I wicket-taker, but he is also the leading T20I wicket-taker in the world.

Player

Bowling style

Wickets taken

Tim Southee

Right-arm medium fast

134

Ish Sodhi

Right-arm legbreak

111

Mitchell Santner

Slow left-arm orthodox

89

Trent Boult

Left-arm fast medium

74

Nathan McCullum

Right-arm offbreak

58

 

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