Tim Southee and Ross Taylor have long been teammates on the New Zealand cricket team.© AFP
New Zealand pacesetter Tim Southee expressed his emotions after veteran Kiwi batter Ross Taylor announced his retirement from the current home season of the international cricket postal team. New Zealand’s upcoming Test series against Bangladesh will mark Taylor’s farewell to the game’s longest format before playing his final ODIs against Australia and the Netherlands. “Every time a player retires it’s a messy moment, especially when someone has played for so long and has been a regular on the roster. It will take some adjustment to look around and not see Ross as a player or on this side. That certainty that he has a quality player around, and the runs he’s had and the work he’s done for this side over a long period of time is amazing,” said Tim Southee in a statement.
Southee elaborated on Taylor’s attitude in the locker room and how his quiet presence will be missed by the team.
“He’s been a regular part of the dressing room for such a long time. He’s a calm kind of guy and he just sits back and enjoys a good time, sitting back and enjoying a wine or drink after a test win are moments he has for will always cherish. He’s a great guy to have in the locker room. Like I said, he’s pretty reserved, but he’ll be missed… It’ll be a while before guys look around and don’t see Ross sitting there,” said he.
Taylor will play his 111th and 112th test matches against Bangladesh in the upcoming Test series from January 1, 2022. Southee and Taylor have played international test cricket side by side for the past 12 years.
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The first game is scheduled for January 1-5 at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga. The second and final test match will be played on January 9 at Hagley Oval, Christchurch and will conclude on January 13.
The New Zealand-Bangladesh test series will be streamed live on Amazon Prime Video.
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