Tim Southee and Trent Boult have been at the vanguard of New Zealand’s enthralling journey to the final of the World Cup. Between them, they have taken 36 wickets, better than any other new-ball pair at the tournament.
Now they stand on the threshold of glory, having already made history with New Zealand by reaching the final. “A dream come true for all the guys,” Southee said at the MCG here on Friday.
“As a kid growing up, you either want to be an All Black or a Black Cap and this is as good as it gets. Brendon speaks a lot about this being the time of our lives and the last couple of months, I wouldn’t replace that for anything. We never wanted it to end and we have made it last as long as we possibly can. One more big push and it’s something the guys will remember forever.”
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Southee’s partnership with Boult has been key to New Zealand’s success, rival batsmen put under incessant scrutiny from either end. It is the sort of understanding captains yearn for among their players. “We have played a lot of cricket together going back to age-group cricket, domestic cricket and now at the international level,” Southee said.
“Trent has just grown another leg. He probably played only 10 one-dayers leading into the World Cup and to do what he has done over the last couple of months is amazing. He just keeps getting better and better. We do have a great partnership and a good friendship off the field which helps as well.”
That the ball may not swing as much in Australia as it does in New Zealand did not worry Southee. “A bit of swing will be nice but it hasn’t swung for us in every game and we have still found ways to take wickets. That’s the beauty of our attack. We have got variety to it and if it does swing, we do become a bit more dangerous,” he said.
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When New Zealand defeated Australia in Auckland earlier in the tournament, Boult took five wickets and Southee two. Beating Australia in any sport, it is clear, gives the Kiwis an enormous amount of joy.
“The rivalry does cover pretty much every sport and it is massive,” Southee said. “We are probably seen as the little brothers from across the ditch and we do quite well in other sports too to compete. Obviously Australia have done well, had the wood on us in cricket over the last few years but we are slowly starting to even that ledger. As a kid growing up, it was always Australia you wanted to play against. If you were playing someone in the backyard, it was New Zealand-Australia and things like that. There is a massive rivalry and you’re always wanting to have one-up on the big brothers.