Tim’s comment on NZ’s loss

Tim Southee, the captain of New Zealand, said on Tuesday that the third and final T20I against India, which ended in a tie because of rain, would have been interesting and could have gone either way if both teams had batted for all of the overs. Indian pacers Mohammed Siraj (4/17) and Arshdeep Singh (4/37) produced sensational bowling performances after New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat first.

They took four wickets each to bowl out the Black Caps for 160, despite fighting half-centuries by Devon Conway (59 off 49) and Glenn Phillips (54 off 33). India were chasing 161 to win and were at 21/3 in 2.5 overs. However, Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten knock included three boundaries and a six, and he and Deepak Hooda (9 not out off 9) brought India to 75/4 in 9 overs when play was stopped by rain. 

DLS says that India would have won with a score of 76 after 9 overs, but they ended up with 75, which was the par score. The match could not be continued because of the persistent rain that was falling on McLean Park. In the end, it ended in a tie, and India won the three-match series 1-0 thanks to their 65-run victory in the second game on Sunday in Mount Maunganui. At Wellington, the first match between the two teams ended without a ball being bowled. The Kiwi pacer, who is 33 years old, acknowledged that his team could have performed better with the bat, but praised the bowlers for taking three wickets quickly.

“It was disappointing even with the bat. We spoke about getting out there and giving everything we could and taking early wickets. We knew if we could get those wickets, anything could happen, but unfortunately, the weather came in,”

said Southee, who claimed 2 for 27 in his three overs, in the post-match presentation.

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“You don’t know until both sides batted on it, it would have been an interesting game but it hasn’t gone to full tilt. A little bit of uncertainty around the scoreboard (about) whether it was a tie when the rain came in. Could have gone either way, the way we attacked with the ball and to put them under pressure was pleasing,”

he added.

With the T20I series coming to an end, Southee is now looking forward to the ODI series, starting on November 25.

“Nice to be back in some ODI cricket against a quality side like India. Hoping for a good crowd in Auckland,”

he said.