KEY POINTS:
Tim Southee's frustrating cricket tour of England turned for the better, as his five-wicket haul against Northamptonshire booked his seat in the Trent Bridge dressing room next week.
The New Zealand paceman had little go right in the first month of his maiden England tour, with a mystery
bug and a minor back injury hampering his progress.
He snared six wickets at 42.67 in his previous three first-class matches, including a wicketless 16 overs for 59 in the drawn first test at Lord's.
Then little more than a week ago Southee, 19, was left out of the second test team at Old Trafford after picking up a 48-hour bug towards the end of the first test. His low energy levels combined with the pitch in Manchester saw Wellington seamer Iain O'Brien get the nod.
However Southee can expect his name to be read out for New Zealand's must-win third test in Nottingham after he ripped through the top of a mediocre Northamptonshire batting order on day two at the County Ground, taking five for 42 from 16.4 well-directed overs.
Three times Southee hit the stumps while Northants' two most highly regarded batsmen, David Sales and Stephen Peters, could only edge behind to gloveman Gareth Hopkins.
Despite performing well in Manchester, O'Brien would be the most likely candidate for Southee to replace, especially after Kyle Mills found some overdue form.
Mills bowled a hostile final spell to end with three for 42 off 15 overs to help mop up the tail as Northants declared at 214 for nine, trailing New Zealand by 149 on the first innings.
Southee, a farmer's son from Maungakaramea in Northland, knew it was a great time to find some form.
"It's been very frustrating and to miss the last test, I haven't done a lot of game-situation bowling, so that was good to get out there and have a good trundle," he said.
"There's nothing you can do about it (illness), just do your best when you get your chances. "
The Dukes ball caused headaches for Southee, as it has for all the New Zealand and England bowlers who often requested it be changed.
"We had a bit of trouble with the first ball and after we replaced that it started swinging, so that was a good sign," Southee said. "It's happened quite a bit. I don't know what it is they just seem to keep going out of shape and losing the swing."
It was Southee's third five-wicket haul in his 17th first-class match, and just outside his best figures of six for 68 against Auckland.
He was on a hat-trick after nicking out former Wellington batsman Sales for 13 then shattering Graeme White's stumps off the inside edge next ball.
A rollicking 82 by South African Johann Louw, including five sixes, and 60 from Ireland's World Cup opener Niall O'Brien ensured the New Zealand bowlers had to toil hard.
But if Southee was the positive, then another batting collapse just before stumps was the negative.
Peter Fulton, for 16, Aaron Redmond, for nine, and James Marshall, for two, all fell to seamer Dave Wigley who added to his five-wicket haul in the first innings.
It left them 38 for three entering the final day after another worrying failure by Marshall, who scored 11 in the first innings then was caught behind in the final over of day two.
Bracewell and tour selectors Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum now have a tough third test decision, with Marshall looking down on confidence and Fulton, who scored 57 on day one, showing glimpses of form.
- NZPA