I am not surprised at all with Umesh Yadav’s form says Southee

Source: Twitter

New Zealand’s veteran pace bowler Tim Southee is among the top 20 wicket-takers of all-time in international cricket and also been part of two IPL winning sides (CSK in 2011 and MI in 2017) and yet has strangely not able to make his mark in the IPL, having also represented Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore as well. However, in this season, for the Kolkata Knight Riders, he looks in a terrific form with 8 wickets in just 3 matches at an economy rate of just 6.67 runs per over. Southee spoke to Moneycontrol.com on his IPL experience. Here is an edited excerpt.

Q: You have been one of the most outstanding bowlers of this generation and yet IPL is something, it seems you haven’t done justice to your reputation.

Southee: I guess so. I have been around in IPL for a fair bit and I haven’t performed to the standard I would have liked to. I don’t know why that is. it’s a very tough tournament. A lot of great cricketers take part in this tournament. In time, I hope to improve my IPL record.

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Q: When you see the likes of Umesh Yadav or Mohammed Shami or yourself, do you think age is irrelevant for fast bowlers in T20 format?

Southee: Yeah, I think age is irrelevant in anything in which you can sustain or are good enough. If you can perform at the standard which is required then age is just a number. I think you can now see how cricketers are working hard on their fitness which was not the case say 10-15-years ago. They look after themselves a lot more than earlier. That is why you have a lot of players who are playing and active in their late 30s as well.

Q: Has Umesh Yadav’s transformation surprised you in this season?

Southee: Not a tall. Umesh is a fantastic bowler and has been a fantastic bowler for a long time. One thing we have seen (in this IPL is) how Brendon and Shreyas have used him as an attacking bowler, someone who can swing the new ball, a role which suits him best. I am not surprised at all (with Umesh’s form) as I have spent a lot of time with him in RCB as well. He is a tremendous bowler. I think it is just the way he has been used by Kolkata, is slightly better.

Q: Having McCullum who has been your former captain, now as your head coach in KKR dressing room, how much of is that an advantage?

Southee: Yeah, its brilliant to work again with Brendon after having worked with him as my captain (for New Zealand) and now as coach of the KKR. I like the way he goes about his business, the way he instils confidence in the guys. He allows them to play with aggressive style and freedom. I loved playing under him as my captain and now enjoying the opportunity of working with him as a coach.

Q: Your thoughts on the dew factor this season which has affected a lot of teams while bowling second? (After 34 matches, Gujarat Titans became the first team which decided to bat first after winning the toss!)

Southee: The dew has played its part so far and it is going to be around, I imagine, for the major part of the number of games in this IPL. But I think you have to come up with the ways to counter the dew. You just have to find newer ways to deal with the slippery balls.