CRICKET - Southee `an emerging force in NZ cricket'

After a promising debut for Northern Districts on Saturday, Tim Southee is now a name to watch out for in New Zealand cricket.
His appearance in the Twenty20 match against Central Districts, less than a month after his 18th birthday, confirmed the beliefs of many who reckon the Maungakaramea fast bowler could be a Black Cap before too long.
Northland cricket development officer Karl Treiber is one of them. He wasn't surprised by Southee's elevation to the starting line-up on Saturday and said the cricketer has been watched quite keenly by ND for some time.
"He's probably destined for higher things (than first class cricket) and I think from ND's point of view, they want to keep him in the ND loop as well, because there's no doubt that there'll be pressure from Auckland and others as well to secure him for the future," he said.
But Southee said while his plans for the rest of the year are still up in the air, he certainly wants to play for ND and Northland in the future.
"I'd prefer to stay with Northern because they've been so good to me since I first started," he said.
After completing his high school education at Kings College last year, Southee wants to start university at some stage this year but at the moment there's too much cricket going on - and he will wait until the second semester.
It is fairly certain that he won't stray too far from the mind of ND coach, Andy Moles, after Southee played a big role in the side's exciting one-run win over Central Districts at Seddon Park in Hamilton.
The youngster understandably suffered a few nerves in the match that was shown live on Sky Sports.
"I was pretty nervous when I went out to bat but by the time I bowled I was fine," he said.
His turn at the batting crease was short-lived but once in the field he quickly showed he wasn't out of his depth, taking a great diving catch and effecting a run out.
"Taking the catch was a great confidence booster and I took it up a notch from there," Southee said.
It was his bowling that really impressed: He bowled with pace and moved the ball well in the air and off the seam. His dismissal of Central's top-scorer, Peter Ingram, was a turning point in the match and he might easily have finished his with more wickets if the ND fielding had been sharper.
Treiber, who said he first came across the bowler as a "podgy" eight year-old at Maungakaramea, said Southee has got a good cricketing head on his shoulders.
"The thing that has always impressed me about his bowling is that he hasn't lost the art of swinging the ball, which is a common trap for young fast bowlers trying to find an extra half yard of pace."
The 18-year-old is also a promising rugby player but it is as a cricketer that he sems likely to be best-known. He flew to Christchurch today to join the New Zealand under-19 side as they prepare to play the Indian under-19s. The two sides will play three four-day tests and three one-day matches ahead of next year's ICC Youth World Cup in Malaysia.
His selection in the side was a no-brainer after some outstanding form at the national under-19 tournament at Lincoln University last week.
Dayle Hadlee, who took Southee and the rest of the under-19 team to the Sri Lankan ICC Youth Cup last year, also believes Southee is an emerging force in New Zealand cricket.
"He's certainly standing out among his peer group, he was the top equal wicket taker with 19 wickets at the under-19s this week and also scored plenty of runs at an outstanding strike rate of over 140 per cent," Hadlee said.
A century against Otago and a 67 in 25 balls in Northern's final match proved he's no slug with the bat either.
While Southee said his main aim is the under-19 World Cup next year, there is a chance that if his star continues to rise he will have to lift his sights higher.