KEY POINTS:
Best not to rush these things, but whispers are getting louder that New Zealand might have uncovered a diamond up north.
Timing is everything and the emergence of Tim Southee could scarcely be better.
Shane Bond has gone, James Franklin and Mark Gillespie are injured. Southee gets his
chance in next week's two Twenty20 games against England.
He has made an encouraging start to his first-class career and all the signs are positive for the teenager from farming stock near Maungakaramea, 25 minutes south west of Whangarei.
Two years ago he was completing his third season in the King's College first XI, to go with three years as blindside flanker in the school's first XV. Northern Districts wasted no time. A couple of months later he was making his first-class debut and the fast-medium bowler is making waves.
He has been ahead of himself for years now. Southee spent a season in the ND under 15 side before being promoted ahead of his peers into the under 17s, then the under 19s, playing with and against his elders.
After his Twenty20 commitments he's off for his second crack at the under 19 World Cup in Malaysia, the only survivor of the 2005-06 squad.
There's a school of thought that the national selectors opted not to put Southee into the ODI squad named this week for the first three games against England to take a softly softly approach with a young man of uncommon promise.
Not necessarily so, said Sir Richard Hadlee, manager of the national selection panel.
"We felt in the Twenty20 if things don't go well there's not too much damage to be done in four overs," he said. "We also felt it was better for him to go to the youth World Cup - not necessarily not to rush him into the 50-over team but to have him compete at his age group level.
"Further down the track, and it might only be a few months away, he could be fully involved."
New Zealand tour England in May. There's a history of taking a young player on those trips, invariably a fast bowler. Think Brendon Bracewell (1978), Derek Stirling (1983), Brian Barrett (1986) and Jonathan Millmow (1990). If the selectors have England in mind, that's a clear sign they like what they see from a player widely regarded by those who have spent time with him as a level-headed, focussed young man.
"He just has potentially a touch of class about him," said Hadlee, who knows a thing or two about pace bowling, said. "He's a huge prospect. I like the fact he runs in straight, has a high action at delivery and that he runs the ball away from the righthanders. So he's got the skills and he's competing against very experienced players."
Hadlee also spoke of the need for a succession plan. Bond has gone and the leading contenders Chris Martin, Kyle Mills, Iain O'Brien, Michael Mason and Mark Gillespie are all 28 or older.
National under 19 coach Dipak Patel reckons he'll become a genuine international allrounder.
"He's got a good head on his shoulders, so it's not just ability and potential but also the person," Patel said. "He's very motivated and pretty focussed on what he wants to achieve."
And what of the player? His formative cricket years included tutelage from some well known ND names of the past, notably former first-class pair Murray Child and Carl Treiber.
Southee was a star turn in New Zealand's under 19 series against India a year ago, including a memorable 12 for 92 to set up a 73-run win at Carisbrook.
"It's all happened pretty quickly," he said. "I'm only in my first full year of first-class cricket. I'm pleased with where I'm at, but there's always room for improvement.
"I want to come back [from Malaysia] and hit the ground running."
Southee talks of returning to help ND in the State Championship when the domestic first-class programme resumes. That coincides with the start of the three-test series against England.
Former New Zealand wicketkeeper and Herald columnist Adam Parore is one who wouldn't be surprised of Southee gets a higher calling on his return.
But Southee's mind is on tomorrow's domestic Twenty20 final against Central Districts in New Plymouth, "then those couple of games [against England], then the World Cup, then come back and perform for ND and take it from there.
"I want to just keep performing, because if you don't they're not going to look at you."
On the evidence so far, it's a bit late for that.
* New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori is in doubt for next week's two Twenty20 clashes with England and the start of the ODI series next Saturday after rolling an ankle at training with Northern Districts yesterday. He will miss ND's domestic Twenty20 final against CD tomorrow.
Wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum will captain New Zealand if Vettori is unavailable. The injury happened during a game of head tennis, involving heading a soccer ball over a net.
"It was an unfortunate accident, he jumped to head the ball and landed on a teammate," ND coach Andy Moles said.
MAKING WAVES
Name: Timothy Grant Southee
Born: December 11, 1988, Whangarei
Teams: Northern Districts, New Zealand under 19
First class debut: v Otago, February 2007
First-class record: 9 games, 31 wickets at 29.29, best: 6-68 v Auckland, Eden Park, December 2007
