WTC Final: Tim Southee auctions signed jersey to help 8-year-old in cancer fight
Tim Southee will auction off one of his World Test Championship (WTC) final jerseys to help a young eight-year-old girl in her battle against cancer. The special jersey has been signed by the entire New Zealand squad that was part of the ICC showpiece event in Southampton.
The 32-year-old took to Instagram to announce the initiative, sharing pictures of the jersey as well.
Tim Southee revealed that his family first heard about Hollie Beattie’s story a couple of years ago. Eight-year-old Beattie was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of cancer called neuroblastoma in 2018 and has been fighting the disease ever since.
Admitting the young girl’s strength and perseverance has stuck with him, Southee urged fans to bid for the jersey and help the family in these testing times.
The fast bowler is not the first Blackcaps cricketer to come out and support the Beattie family. Opening batsman Martin Guptill used a special bat in a T20 against the West Indies last year, which he later auctioned off to help Hollie in her fight against cancer.
Tim Southee was one of the stars in the World Test Championship final
The fast bowler has set up a TradeMe page to auction the WTC Final jersey. At the time of writing, more than 150 people had bid for Southee’s jersey, with the leading bid at $7,500.
Southee had a stellar performance in Southampton as New Zealand beat India by eight wickets to become the inaugural WTC winners.
The pacer ended with match figures of 5/112, with his swing bowling troubling Indian batsmen throughout the Test. He also played a crucial knock with the bat, scoring 30 runs off 46 balls as he helped New Zealand take a vital first-innings lead.