CRICKET - Marshall wants Southee let loose

Apparently new Wellington cricket coach Anthony Stuart has no time for inter-team pleasantries. Chances are he will have plenty of time for Tim Southee then.
The new Northern Districts pace bowler launched into his first full season of first class cricket against Wellington in Hamilton today with the added pressure of expectation hovering over his performance.
But if Stuart was wondering if Southee might take a break between deliveries to offer some kinds words to the batsmen today, he was in for a surprise.
Southee is hardly a firebrand bowler, but he isn't a batsman's friend either and his ND skipper, fellow Northlander James Marshall, reckons the 18-year-old is more than ready for the world of first class cricket.
To the point where Marshall was seeking to get the green light from cricketing officials yesterday so he could use the teenager as much as he possibly could.
As an 18-year-old, Southee is only allowed to bowl 20 overs in a day, but Marshall reckons Southee is ready for more.
"I would let him off the leash completely if they let me. He is ready for first class cricket and ready to jump right in where and when we need him," Marshall said.
"I am trying to sort out if I can use him more, but for now he has a 20-over a day limit. Still, 20 overs is enough to get him into the game, and there will be plenty of batsmen who will think that's enough," he said.
Southee is one of a clutch of young players expected to be introduced to the ND line-up on a more regular basis by coach Andy Moles this season. That is sure to make Marshall's job as captain a challenging one, especially as they aim to defend the State Shield (four-day) title this summer.
ND won the final against Canterbury last year in a game that Southee played a major role in.
The opening game against Wellington today offered some interesting challenges though.
Wellington have a dependable batting line-up spiked by two Northland proteges in brothers Neale and Michael Parlane. Wellington's bowling attack is a bit more mysterious though.
"Wellington are capable of scoring a big total, very quickly. So we need to be very careful and our bowlers need to be aware of the dangers," Marshall said.
"But as for their bowling attack they have a couple of new guys in there that we don't know much about at all, so that is going to be interesting.
"The mix of young guys and experienced players is pretty good for ND though. There is a lot of pressure for places which is going to make the season all the better from my perspective.
"What we have to do is make sure we play cricket for four days in the early rounds, not get knocked over in two-and-a-half."
The game started at Hamilton today.