Tim Southee, a right-arm swing bowler, burst upon the international scene in great style when still only 19. Handed his Test debut against England in Napier, Southee responded with 5 for 55 before smashing 77 off 40 balls in the second innings with nine sixes to hint at a bright all-round future. Since then, things haven't been as smooth for him, though he remains a first-choice bowler in New Zealand's pace attack. He hasn't bettered either of those performances, but remains highly rated, with Allan Donald stating that Southee had the potential to become the best swing bowler in the world. His ability to generate late outswing at a brisk pace makes him a perfect attacking bowling in Tests; and his 2011 World Cup performance of 18 wickets at 17.33 suggested that he could be quite a handful in ODIs as well, when not affected by fitness worries.

Southee seemed destined for an international career from his early days. He made his first-class debut for Northern Districts at the age of 18 in late 2006-07 and the next season showed significant promise, claiming 6 for 68 in a particularly impressive effort against Auckland. Named in the squad for the Under-19 World Cup, Southee received a major boost when he was called into the senior set-up for New Zealand's Twenty20 matches against England in early 2008. He was the second highest wicket-taker at the Under-19 World Cup in 2008 and won the Player-of-the-Tournament award for his 17 wickets which led New Zealand to the semi-finals.
ESPNcricinfo staff