KARACHI: Tim Southee will find himself in unfamiliar territory watching the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 rather than playing but has backed his former team-mates to impress in Pakistan.

The former BlackCaps bowler and captain called time on his international career at the end of 2024, meaning that both he and Trent Boult will be absent from the team that looks to bring home the trophy for the first time since 2000.

While the fast-bowling ranks look relatively inexperienced, Kane Williamson and captain Mitchell Santner know what it takes to make it to the sharp end of tournaments.

And having just won the tri-nation series in Pakistan as a warm-up, Southee has been impressed with what he has seen.

“The way the team have played, different guys have stepped up,” he told the International Cricket Council website. “It’s a good mix between some experienced guys and some exciting young guys with a lot of potential.

“The experience of this tri-nation series is only going to stand them in good stead for the tournament.”Southee put his bets on Williamson to do well in the Champions Trophy, as the right-hander accumulated an impressive 225 runs across the three tri-nation series matches, which included a century against South Africa.

“Kane is in good form, it’s nice to see him with a couple of scores, he’s obviously class,” Southee noted. “He’s not played a lot of one-day cricket for the last few years but to see him come back and have two significant contributions is what we’re used to seeing. But it’s also pleasing for me now as a fan of the Black Caps.

“When he is in the middle, it comes with experience and the way he plays, he just looks in control the whole time. That is what sets those four or five batters apart from the rest. They are able to sum up conditions, sum up moments in games and more times than not, they come out on the right side of things. He brings a calmness to the group.”

Williamson’s experience will go in handy with Mitchell Santner’s captaincy for New Zealand, the slow left-armer leading the bowling ranks with his nagging line and length and the ability to vary his pace and flight.

Lifting the tri-nation series trophy has put him in good stead for the Champions Trophy title.

“Mitch has done a great job as captain,” Southee said. “It’s still reasonably new to him but I experienced a bit of his captaincy towards the end of my career. He’s very calm, you see that in the way he plays his cricket.”

New Zealand start their Champions Trophy campaign against Pakistan at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2025