Published: Feb 20, 2015, 12:03 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 20, 2015, 02:59 PM (IST)
Tim Southee took seven wickets against England at Wellington in New Zealand’s third match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, conceding 33 runs. England were bowled out for 123. He now holds the record for the best bowling figures by a New Zealand bowler in One-Day Internationals (ODIs), surpassing Shane Bond‘s six for 19 against India. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Full Coverage
Southee’s previous best in One-Day International’s (ODI) was five for 33 against Pakistan in 2011. The pacer’s figures are also the third best ever in World Cup events, with Andy Bichel (seven for 20) and Glenn McGrath (seven for 15) above him. A matter of fact is Southee enjoys bowling at Wellington, as his top three best bowling figures in ODIs have come at this venue.
While chasing a paltry score of 123, New Zealand started off in a blazing manner; courtesy New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum.
McCullum smacked the fastest 50 in the history of World Cup cricket, achieving the milestone off only 18 deliveries, beating his own record of 52 off 20 balls against Canada in World Cup 2007.
The New Zealand skipper started from the very first delivery and piled 77 off 25 deliveries. He first gave Stuart Broad a reality check and then launched an onslaught against Steven Finn. He struck four sixes in an over from Finn.
His remarkable innings has taken his team to touching distance from victory as they need a dozen runs to seal the deal.
New Zealand won the match by eight wickets and Southee was rightly awarded the Man of the Match for his brilliant performance with the ball.
