Cricket: Southee seeking consistency as he regains form

Tim Southee wears a sumo wrestling suit during a sponsors day at the Papatoetoe Sports Club yesterday. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Twenty one overs on his home patch at Whangarei this week have convinced New Zealand new-ball bowler Tim Southee that he'll be ready for the two tests against Australia at the start of next month.

Southee suffered an untimely strain in his left knee which ruled him out of the tour to Zimbabwe.

His return came for Northern Districts, in his first Plunket Shield game since December 2009, against Auckland at Cobham Oval.

The outcome was not what he'd have wanted - a thrilling 19-run win to Auckland inside three days - but in personal terms, there was satisfaction in what he managed.

Southee bowled 12 overs in the first innings, and a further nine, taking three for 23, in the second.

"There was no pain in the knee so that was a good start," he said yesterday. "It was just about getting my rhythm back, and getting back into the swing of things.

"As the game went on my bowling felt a lot more natural and like it was starting to click."

Southee, with most of his New Zealand teammates, will play the second round of the shield, starting on Monday, as their final preparation for the short tour of Australia, which has tests in Brisbane from December 1, and Hobart from December 9.

The first warmup game, against a New South Wales XI in Sydney has been canned, with the squad due to leave New Zealand on November 20.

ND will have nine past or present international players in their side to play Wellington at Lincoln - current quartet Dan Vettori, Kane Williamson, BJ Watling and Graeme Aldridge, along with Southee, Brent Arnel, Trent Boult, James Marshall and Peter McGlashan.

"Hopefully in the next four-dayer things can go up again," Southee said.

As for the coming season, Southee just wants to build on an encouraging 2010-11.

He took 10 wickets in four tests against India and Pakistan, last night won the award as New Zealand's T20 player of the year and snared 18 wickets at the World Cup at just 17.33 apiece - third overall behind Pakistan's Shahid Afridi and India's Zaheer Khan.

"I'd hate to be someone who sits back in a couple of years' time and still be reflecting on the season just gone," he said.

"I'd like to become more consistent and it started to come last year.

"Good players around the world consistently perform in all three forms and don't just have a good game here and there. That's one of the things I want to do."

Southee is eager to get back to challenge Australia a second time, after being part of the 2008-09 tour.

Indeed Southee's three early wickets in the first test at the Gabba on that trip had Australia in strife at 23 for three. They were rolled for 214 but New Zealand's batsmen could not capitalise and the test was lost by 149 runs.

"Everyone's excited about it," Southee said.

"It's a great way to start the summer, playing Australia in Australia, and with the whole New Zealand-Australia rivalry.

"Both teams tend to lift."

New Zealand's leading players had an open day at Papatoetoe sports ground yesterday, indulging in some Highland Games activities, including sumo wrestling, caber tossing - using a giant cricket bat - and horizontal bungee.

At the same time, HRV renewed their sponsorship of the domestic T20 competition for a further three years, taking it to five years altogether.