England Men eye new fast-bowling consultant for 2025 summer

Former New Zealand seam bowler Tim Southee is being considered as England men's bowling consultant, replacing James Anderson who had held the role since retiring from Test cricket in July.

With Anderson proritising a season-long deal to play for Lancashire this summer, BBC Sport reported on Tuesday that Southee, who himself retired from international cricket after England's tour of New Zealand at the end of 2024, is the frontrunner to fill that gap.

Southee, 36, finished a distinguished 16-year international career as the Black Caps' leading wicket-taker, and would reunite with his former captain and good friend Brendon McCullum should he join England's backroom staff. The pair represented New Zealand together on 170 occasions - McCullum skippering for 78 of them - while also sharing the field at Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL and Middlesex in the T20 Blast. McCullum even presented Southee with a bottle of red wine signed by the England team at the conclusion of Southee's 107th and final Test in Hamilton.

McCullum has long held the belief that Southee would make a good bowling coach. It helps, too, that Southee has a good relationship with many of the current squad, including Test captain Ben Stokes.