Southee keen to face challenge

The long winter has finally broken for Waiotira pace bowler Tim Southee  who has been recalled  to the Black Caps  for the upcoming series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.
Southee has been working hard  on his fitness and bowling over an extended off-season, but has also enjoyed something of a break from the game, which he believes has helped him freshen up for the challenge ahead.
"Obviously, I'm pretty pleased to get the call-up, there's still a bit of work to be done, because it's a 15-man squad, so my plan is to get over there and work hard to impress, if I get the chance and make the most of it," he said.
After spending time working on the family farm since returning from the New Zealand A tour of India in August, Southee steps into the gap left vacant by Daryl Tuffey. The Auckland bowler  broke his hand during fielding  practice at the Champions Trophy in South Africa.
The 20-year-old knows there is a lot riding on his form in the UAE - with a test series to follow in New Zealand, starting at the end of November.
The Black Caps play Pakistan in three one-day matches at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, before finishing off the short series by playing two Twenty20 matches in Dubai.
The series, as happened in the recent Australian series, had to be shifted to the neutral venue  because of recent security concerns in Pakistan.
"I don't really have a clue what to expect in Abu Dhabi, it's going to be our first trip there, so it's going to be interesting but I'm sure someone will have done their research and we'll be told about the wickets there in due course," Southee said.
With Jacob Oram retiring from test cricket, Southee's ability to hit the ball hard could become an asset in the future, giving him another angle to work on while he's away.
"There's still a lot of work to be done with my batting before I can classify myself as an all-rounder, but it's something I'm willing to work toward - I'd like to become an all rounder rather than just a batter who whacks the ball around at the tail - so that's already on my to-do list."
At the moment, James Franklyn is the most likely all-rounder to replace Oram in the test team but Southee has plenty of time to improve his batting. "In the modern game - and in Twenty20 it's useful to have 11 guys who can bat - and even in one-day cricket, with its power plays and so on, it's a good tactic to have the batting go as low as possible, so as I say, that's something I'm working on," he said.
The team will get together to train before leaving for the UAE before the end of the month, with the first match on November 3.
The touring squad is: Daniel Vettori (captain), Shane Bond, Neil Broom, Ian Butler, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Aaron Redmond, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor and BJ Watling.