Tim Southee joins England set-up as 'special skills consultant'

Tim Southee will link up with his former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum in time for England's first Test of the summer, against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge next week, after being confirmed on a short-term deal as James Anderson's replacement in their coaching staff across formats.

Southee, 36, retired from Test cricket at the conclusion of England's 2-1 series win in New Zealand in December, after a 16-year career that included a national-record 776 wickets across international formats.

In that period, he played alongside McCullum on 170 occasions, including 78 under his leadership - while also sharing the field at Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL and Middlesex in the T20 Blast. McCullum 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.

His official title in the England set-up will be "Specialist Skills Consultant", but his appointment is in effect a like-for-like replacement for Anderson, who took his own vast international experience straight into the back-room staff after his own 21-year Test career came to an end at Lord's last July.

This summer, however, Anderson is proritising a season-long deal to play for Lancashire, for whom he could make a first appearance of the season later this month after recuperating from a calf injury.

Southee's England deal includes the one-off Zimbabwe Test, beginning May 22, as well as the white-ball series against West Indies and the five Tests against India that get underway in June and July. His stint will conclude after the Oval Test on August 4, at which point he is due to resume his playing career with Birmingham Phoenix in the Men's Hundred.

In a press release, the ECB welcomed his involvement, saying: "With his vast experience of playing in a wide range of conditions around the world and across all formats, [Southee] brings valuable insight and knowledge to the players."