Cricket: Southee departs with top award under his belt

Tim Southee. Photo / Getty Images

Tim Southee heads to India on Sunday buoyed by having received an international award for the best T20 performance of the past year.

The New Zealand seamer made it two years in a row for New Zealand in the International Cricket Council award for his five for 18 against Pakistan at Eden Park last Boxing Day.

That effort, in four overs, included a hat-trick, removing Younis Khan, Mohammad Hafeez and Umar Akmal to reduce Pakistan to 62 for five, en route to 143 for nine, and a five-wicket loss.

Southee's effort follows Brendon McCullum's blazing 116 not out against Australia in Christchurch, which won the same award last year.

"Obviously you play a lot of cricket and there's been a fair few games since that, but it is something I'll remember for a long time," 22-year-old Southee said last night.

The win ended a drought for New Zealand, in which they had lost 11 straight ODIs.

"I was just happy to contribute to a team win, especially in the circumstances New Zealand was in at the time."

Southee is off to the Champions League T20 in India where he's in the Chennai Super Kings squad.

He has had about a month and a half off, after spending part of the English season with Essex.

New Zealand get back on the international treadmill with a tour to Zimbabwe in a few weeks, followed by a two-test series in Australia from the start of December.

England batsmen Jonathan Trott and Alastair Cook won the ICC player of the year, and test player of the year awards respectively; while Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara won ODI player of the year.