"There's sadness but...,": Willamson sends special message to Southee ahead of h

New Zealands Kane Williamson paid tribute to his longtime compatriot and close friend Tim Southee after the seasoned pacer announced his plans to retire following the conclusion of the England seriesWilliamson and Southees careers have gone side by side beginning at the Under19 level to the domestic circuit to their 100th Test for New Zealand together against Australia earlier this yearTheir 100th Test appearance came together even though Williamson made his debut twoandahalf years after SoutheeThe seasoned batter is New Zealands highest rungetter in the Test format On the other hand Southee is the secondhighest wickettaker in Test cricket after Richard Hadlee with 385 scalps to his nameAlso ReadODI World Cup 2023 Tearful captain silenced crowd and a beautiful journeyIn the upcoming Tests he will have an opportunity to hit the 400 Test wicket mark and become the second player from his country to do soPlaying so long together you just go through so much Both doing stints in leadership roles and you go through different turbulent times then you have some good ones as well and they are all part of the experience Williamson said ahead of the first Test as quoted from ESPNcricinfoTo do it as long as Tim has is incredible as a fast bowler theres not many in the history of the game who have been able to achieve what he has Such a huge member and leader of our side and a close friend as well he addedWith Southee set to have the last dance of his illustrious career his retirement marks the departure of one more player of New Zealands successful era which saw the likes of Ross Taylor Colin de Grandhomme and Neil WagnerIts life isnt it You do realise you are closer towards the end than the start which is a certainty Its about navigating those periods because you feel slightly different when you play your first game to when you play your 100th Williamson saidTheres different levels of excitement your life changes a little bit whether thats family extra dogs whatever it is you are into so the picture does take a slightly different shape and your motivation does adjust Theres sadness but excitement as well for Tim because the end of your time in a sporting professional environment is scary but theres so much more to come he notedThe threematch Test series between New Zealand and England will begin on November 28 at Hagley OvalThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever