Here is the full transcript of England bowling coach Tim Southee’s pre-match press conference ahead of the Super 8 match against New Zealand in Colombo:
(Reporter:)
I’ll get the obvious question out of the way. What is it like in the competitive camp? I know you were obviously doing this work when we were in New Zealand in November. Is it different now that we are in a tournament and something is riding on it?
(Tim Southee:)
Yeah, it’s a bit strange to see the guys around the hotel and of course with that series in New Zealand at the end of last year. But yes, it’s a great opportunity to work with an English side. But yeah, you always want New Zealand cricket to do well and always follow them closely. But yeah, things are a little different now in the role I’m in. I’m looking forward to going there against a good side and some good friends too.
(Reporter:)
Can I just ask what you do, sorry not what you do, but how was working with Jofra and yes, what do you think of him?
(Tim Southee:)
Yeah, brilliant. He’s obviously a class bowler and played against him a bit, but I got to know him on a different level in the last one. It’s been great for almost a year and seeing him go about his business and just talk. He absolutely loves cricket, he loves bowling, so yes, it was great to work alongside such a great bowler.
(Reporter:)
Are you working with him on anything in particular? Jamie recently talked about how it helped him with his length, so maybe talk a little bit about that. But with Jofry, is there anything you specifically say to him or try to influence him or just let him go?
(Tim Southee:)
No, he’s curious. Like I said, he loves cricket, he loves chatting about cricket, so lots of casual chats about cricket and how he’s doing. And I think he’s kicked a different gear in the last few games and I hope he continues to do that in the next few games. But yeah, nothing specific. I think he has such a great skill set, something about being quick on the ball, an incredible amount of skills, sometimes he has too many skills and just trying to narrow down what’s effective at the time. So yeah, I think he’s been great the last few games for us and hopefully he’ll continue to do that in the next few games.
(Reporter:)
Jamie was talking to us the other day about the work you did with him to adjust his lengths for these conditions and it obviously seems to have benefited him. Can you talk a little bit about that?
(Tim Southee:)
I look at Jamie as a pitcher and he has so many great qualities. He’s a big guy, he can mix it up quickly, he can move the ball. And a lot of the time, the big guys tend to be a little bit on the shorter side and you get to this part of the world where the service is a little bit slower, which might not be efficient. So it’s just about those guys and every pitcher trying to be effective in all parts of the world, not just the conditions that you kind of grow up in. So for him, we just had a few conversations about what lengths might work. Obviously jumping between having that streak and then having to go to India and then coming back now, although you’re in the subcontinent, it’s a bit different everywhere, even from there to Pallekelle, it’s a bit different. So just to make sure you guys, yeah, and Jam is great to work with. He also likes to learn and develop his game. So yeah, that’s just one of the things that we talked about a lot.
(Reporter:)
And Jof has played great in the last few games. But maybe less well at the very beginning of the tournament. Has something changed with him? Did you work with him at all to level him up like they did?
(Tim Southee:)
No, I think it comes with him obviously coming back from the injury he sustained during the Ashes and playing that T20 series against Sri Lanka. But it’s only when you get back into the group that you’re playing against sides you probably haven’t seen much of. Sometimes, the faster you jump and guys throw their hands over it, you can go away in this format and not have the results you want. But I think the good sign is that in the last couple of games we’ve seen him look like he’s getting better and better, so that bodes well for the next couple of games.
(Reporter:)
England have yet to play an ideal match, as the players admitted to us after each one. The pressure is off a bit, they have already qualified for the semi-finals. Do you think this could help the players to increase their performance level in this next game or does it not really make a difference?
(Tim Southee:)
I think everyone wants to do well every time you play. The nature of cricket is that you miss a lot more than you don’t. So I think everybody wants to go out and do well. I think it’s a great sign on that side. We had a great T20 series win against Sri Lanka under these conditions. And we’ve only lost one game in the last many games. And we won in different ways, which is a great sign that we didn’t play a perfect game or play a complete performance across all three formats. But we still found ways to win, which is a good sign. And I think you look at the nature of the lineup, if it comes out and we have a perfect game, then that should be a great testament. But I think at this point there should be different guys, different guys contributing, someone like Will Jacks in a reasonably new role for him to come in and have the impact he had in this tournament, and I’m sure those other guys who haven’t contributed as much as they’d like to be a little bit away from being brilliant as well.
(Reporter:)
Yesterday we saw New Zealand adapting to some of the conditions out there on the fly. In terms of the team with you, how well do you think you are equipped to adapt to different conditions and adapt to the flow of the game?
(Tim Southee:)
Yeah, I think we have a very well balanced side. You obviously came here and it seems to be a little harder on the spin side. I think you look at bowlers and batsmen who also offer you a spin option when you come to a pitch like this. We saw in the last T20 at Pallekelle in the Tri Series where Jacob Bethel came in and made such a big impact. So to be able to have guys that if it’s seam friendly or spin friendly you can chop and change, similar to New Zealand. I think we saw last night the ability to have bowlers who can then throw you a couple of overs, when you get into the game and the surface offers something like that, it’s very useful to have. So I think both sides have pretty well balanced lineups that can cover the pace as well as the seams.
(Reporter:)
And just on that last question, still no real win for you guys, but now, apart from the game tomorrow, just two games away from essentially winning another World Cup. Is it a positive that you didn’t go into top gear, or is that something you’re worried about?
(Tim Southee:)
No, I think it’s been great, as I touched on, how we’ve been able to win in different ways and different guys that have stepped up. And a lot of the time probably guys who aren’t known as dangerous players. I mentioned Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, guys like that who came in and had a big impact, Dawson. So yeah, I think even though we didn’t play a perfect game and to sit here with the fact that we’re already qualified and the game is in front of us, it’s only good. And hopefully we can put together some good performances in the next few games.
(Reporter:)
You talked about the conditions here, but let’s go back to what you basically expect from Pallekelle, Colombo. You have played in Pallekelle, Mumbai, Kolkata and places much faster than what you will be offering here. So could you talk to us about the conditions and how you want to download the cat basically at this location?
(Tim Southee:)
Yeah, a little different. Yeah, we saw that spin plays a big role here, it’s a big ground and it offered a lot for the spinners. So like I said, it doesn’t mean seamstresses can’t have an impact. We’ve seen that seafarers still have an impact on games as well. Matt Henry started things last night so I think if I go back to the balance of the side that I can have guys who can offer spin options, as well as obviously having pace bowlers and a lot of spin options, I think both sides have more options on a surface like that.
(Reporter:)
Can I just ask about your role? Obviously you left during the Ashes for a freelance gig, now you’re back, how’s that been and what’s your role going forward? Is it just for this World Cup or is it ongoing?
(Tim Southee:)
Yeah, I’m very grateful for the opportunity to work with such a great side and I’ve loved the time I’ve had. I had a two year ILT20 contract to fulfill. They changed, obviously moving the dates from January to December, which clashed with the Ashes. But to be part of the build-up in the first Ashes Test was incredible. I would have loved to have been part of all five, working with the guys in the England summer and then in the build-up, and just being part of the Ashes series, being a Kiwi lad, having the opportunity to work with the England side for the Ashes series was amazing. It was just bad luck that the dates changed and I suspect the fulfillment of the two-year contract in the IL220. So yes, it’s disappointing. I would love to be there for all five and hopefully I can continue to work with them and build good relationships with the bowlers and really enjoy being back in the game that has given me so much and the opportunity to work with, as I said, a great cricket team and a lot of good bowlers.
(Reporter:)
Sorry, it’s an ongoing deal, right? Is it like some series about the series, the World Cup?
(Tim Southee:)
(Reporter:)
So we are now at the business end of the World Cup, with a maximum of three games to go. Is the atmosphere in the group different now, in terms of focus, tension and pressure, than it was in, say, New Zealand in October?
(Tim Southee:)
I think when you show up in a bilateral series and you come to the World Cup, it’s obviously a little bit different, there’s a little bit more at stake. But I think we came here to obviously get through the opening section and then get through the super eights and we did that and obviously one more step towards that. But the mood in the camp is great. It’s a site that all the guys get along with so well. Great mood in the group and we look forward to tomorrow. I think you can’t look too far ahead even though we qualified. We have a great opportunity for them to go and represent England again tomorrow against a good New Zealand team, which should be a good game on what is likely to be a difficult surface.
(Reporter:)
Finally, we focused a bit on Jose Butler, a great player who is just a little out of form. How is he in the group? Does he realize these things, or do you really see no difference?
(Tim Southee:)
No Jos, I played with Jos and I played a lot against Jos and one of the most dangerous white ball batsmen to play the game. I think when you’re that good and you’ve got a little swing I guess you feel a little bit more pressure but he’s hitting it just as well as he does in the nets I’m sure he’s only a few good shots away from Another amazing one and he’s from that we’ve seen so much from Jose over the years so yeah He’s doing his job he’s doing everything you can but a few hard things to go out there and perform doesn’t take away from all the great things he’s done over the years for England and in T20 cricket.
