'Hungry' Southee ready to re-emerge from the slump

Maungakaramea quick bowler Tim Southee is keen to make up  lost ground as he departs for his first international tour of the season.
The 20-year-old made a fantastic start to his international career last year in two test series  against England. 
But  his performances went off the boil  and he drifted in and out of the Black Caps.
Southee leaves today   for a three-week Emerging Players tour to Australia keen to begin his march back to the top.
"You've got to make the most of every opportunity, and I don't think I did that last year.
"But that just makes me hungrier  to make the most of the next chance I get," he said.
When he returns from Australia, Southee will  accompany  a  strong New Zealand A side on their tour of India.
"I'm aiming to have a good A trip.  Hopefully things will fall into place and I'll get a crack at the test and one-day sides, and I can get back to where I was this time last year, coming off that series in England."
The presence of Shane Bond and Kyle Mills on the A tour shows the  depth of New Zealand bowling stocks. 
For the young Southee, it's a great chance to learn some new tricks off his childhood hero.
"As a young person I'm always learning.
"Obviously, going on tour with someone like  Shane Bond - who you've idolised while you were growing up - to see the way he goes about things will be an experience in itself," he said.
New Zealand Cricket has  included Bond among the tourists to give him an opportunity to "get back up to speed".
"He won't be back to his best from game one, but he'll be a great asset to New Zealand cricket," Southee agreed.
The challenge of outperforming two of the most experienced Black Caps bowlers in difficult conditions in India is enough to fire up Southee  after he missed  the test squad for the Sri Lankan tour.
"Obviously there was some
disappointment there.
"But I want to go away now and have a good A trip and push for a spot later on in the season," he said.
If there's injury or if Southee fires in India, there is a chance the bowler may be back sooner rather than later.
The re-emergence of Bond and Daryl Tuffey for national duty after they turned their back on the unsanctioned Indian Twenty20 competition has widened the bowling talent pool.
"It's great for New Zealand cricket but obviously for me it's made that step (up into the test side) a little bit harder to achieve. It's not a free ride for me now."
Southee has been hard at work  over the winter  after he began bowling too wide off the crease toward the end of last season.
"I've spent the last four months putting some technical issues right.
 "I'm pretty confident that I've fixed them and now I'm very keen on getting out there and testing that out by playing some cricket.
The New Zealand Emerging Players team will be out to defend their 2008 title in the 11-day tournament beginning on July 20 in Brisbane.
Teams from Australia, India, South Africa and New Zealand take part in the tournament which includes two rounds of Twenty20, six one-day matches and  finals.