Teenage pace ace Tim Southee has claimed that his call up to the New Zealand Test side is "an awesome opportunity".
Teenage seamer ready to take on England
Teenage pace ace Tim Southee has claimed that his call up to the New Zealand Test side is "an awesome opportunity".
The 19-year-old seamer has enjoyed a meteoric rise to be included in the deciding Test at Hawke's Bay's McLean Park.
Southee made his international debut in the Twenty20 series in February, before going on to be named as the payer of the tournament at the Under-19s World Cup.
And Southee, who has also claimed 10 wickets in his last two matches for Northern Knights, can't wait to make the step up to the Test team.
"It's an awesome opportunity for me," Southee told
The Waikato Times.
"This is something I've always wanted. There will definitely be a few nerves around if I get to play.
Confidence
"After those two Twenty20 games and the Youth World Cup I have a lot of confidence. It would be good to make the most of that and how I'm bowling.
"I'll need to be more consistent. That's something I've lacked a little but this year's been a lot better."
While Southee is braced for a place in the third Test, coach John Bracewell is expected to keep faith in his under-fire batsman.
Although the series remains tied at 1-1, the New Zealand top order has failed to shine - with Matthew Bell scoring 48 runs and Mathew Sinclair 58 runs.
However, despite having options available, Bracewell is set to give his batsmen a second chance.
"There are options open to us, but we want to give these guys a decent chance," stressed Bracewell.
"They're playing on pretty good surfaces, against good bowlers, it's a pretty good challenge for them we need to make sure they are the right or not the right people before you start the revolving door.
"We haven't discussed last chances with the selectors. The feedback from the selectors was they'd like to continue with the same unit and have some continuity.
"I was pleased with Mathew's approach to the last Test. He made a couple of mistakes but that's a harsh reality of Test cricket - I think his intent was good and I expect him to get runs in this next Test."
