“On behalf of the team, I think everyone is feeling for Kane at the moment, and he is in the best place he can be,” Southee stated. “And that is with, in and around, his family. It is a sad time for the Williamson family, and we look forward to Kane joining up. He’s been able to train with the ND guys in Tauranga, so I am sure he will be hitting plenty of balls and making sure he is ready to go come Thursday.”
Southee: ‘Guys nonetheless see Test cricket as the head’
“It has been great to have the amount of people who have been talking about Test cricket; to see the Basin Reserve filled for five days was great to be a part of,” Southee stated. “I think, just in general, the guys are pleased to see people talking about Test cricket, and Test cricket being exciting. England have played their part in that over the last year or so.
“The guys nonetheless see Test cricket as the head of the sport, and to have the quantity of people that arise and speak about Test cricket is agreeable to see. It is a fit that can be mentioned for a very long time, however they’re an excessively humble workforce. Now our center of attention will shift to Sri Lanka.”
Southee wary of WTC final contenders Sri Lanka
New Zealand, the winners of the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC), are already out of the race for the final of this cycle of the WTC, but Sri Lanka are still in the running – along with India – to face Australia. If Sri Lanka sweep New Zealand away from home, they will get to 61.11% points. In that case, they would need India to not win the fourth – and final – Test of the Border-Gavaskar series in Ahmedabad.
“Sri Lanka are nonetheless within the hunt to make the general of the World Test Championship,” Southee said. “They’ve performed some nice cricket over the past two years to be in that place. So, for us, we all know that Sri Lanka are an excellent facet, and they have proven that within the ultimate couple of years – to be sitting in that high of the desk within the Test Championship.
“So, we respect every opposition and that’s the challenge we’re looking forward to. They still have plenty to play for, and we’re obviously out of the Test Championship.”