TIM Southee's success in his first test match hasn't surprised the cricket master at his former school, Russell Smith, who believes the 19-year-old has a long and successful international career ahead of him.
The Whangarei Boys' High School teacher said it was Southee's temperament as much as his obvious ability that
would turn a promising start at international cricket into something special.
"He's a good Waiotira country boy, who doesn't get ahead of himself, has a level head and approaches a match anywhere the same as he approaches a club game out at Maungakaramea," Smith said.
He said the signs had always been there that Southee would play for New Zealand, it was just a matter of when.
"He bowls a faster ball than it appears, so he has the ability to hurry batsman up, he gets the seam upright and moves the ball away and that's enough to make it difficult for batsmen," he said.
"To be honest, it wasn't a bad start to get Vaughan, Strauss and Peterson as your first three test victims but to then go on to get five wickets, that was pretty special."
Smith believes that unlike many New Zealand bowlers, Southee's upright action will allow him to enjoy a relatively injury-free career.
"Chris Martin and Tim are the only other front-line bowlers who seem able to bowl day in, day out and that's certainly a strength."
Southee was selected into the school's first XI in his first year at the school - a rarity for a Year 9 student - but his level of bowling was already well ahead of his age group.
For much of the time Southee was at the school, Smith wasn't closely involved in Boys' High cricket.
"But I obviously remember him well when he made a splash at Northern Districts tournaments and during that time in the under-14s and under-15s," he said.
After completing Year 9 and Year 10 at the high school, Southee was attracted by Auckland's King College, where he completed his secondary schooling.
He became King College's third Black Cap.
The others were Northlanders Hamish and James Marshall, which compares poorly to Whangarei Boys' current crop of two in the test side: Southee and out of form batsman Matthew Bell.
