Southee unfazed by cricket 'bullies'

Tim Southee won't be ducking for cover, no matter what is thrown at him by Australia during today's ODI at Eden Park.
Southee found himself right in the middle of the standoff between Scott Styris and Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson during the last ODI in Napier, which cost both players a portion of their match fee in fines.
"The Aussies have long been known as the bully-boys of international cricket but now sides are beginning to stand up to them and that's the mentality we've got to take into tomorrow's game.
"We've got to give back anything that's thrown at us and that includes the verbal stuff as well," Southee said.
He was the non-striker when Johnson and Styris clashed but said it all seemed innocuous enough to start with.
"I don't think there was much behind it, just a brush of the shoulders between the wickets as Scotty took a run but then Mitchell got a bit heated and Scotty wasn't backing down."
He said words  were often exchanged in the middle and he didn't give much credence to reports from across the Tasman that he and Australian opener Shane Watson had also tangled verbally after Southee's run-out, two balls after the incident.
"There was nothing out of the ordinary out there [between us], just a bit of normal banter and that's part and parcel of cricket - mostly it's all left out there on the field," he said.
If anything will help him to concentrate on the job he has been selected for - as an opening bowler and one who can bowl tightly at the death - he doesn't need to look far. The short boundaries of Eden Park are a constant reminder that he has a job to do today.
Southee said he has been concentrating on practising his new-ball bowling in particular in the lead-up to the game - after getting punished early on in Napier.
"They're going to come hard at me and I've got to come back harder, and although they may hit the odd good ball for four, the trick is not to panic and think I have to change things in the middle of an over. More often than not, if you bowl in the right areas then you'll get rewarded for it," he said.
Meanwhile, Black Caps skipper Daniel Vettori still had a large questionmark over him before today's clash after practising yesterday. Vettori injured his neck before the first ODI and, although he survived fielding practice yesterday, he looked uncomfortable after his session in the batting cage but was still hoping to play.