New Zealand's selectors
and coaches took great
interest in Southee while
he was still playing youth
cricket. In 2007 national
bowling coach Dayle
Hadlee took him to India.
Hadlee later said that while
there Dennis Lillee had
compared Southee's talent
to that of Glenn McGrath
when he was young.
Hadlee, brother of New
Zealand Cricket Selection
Manager Sir Richard
Hadlee, also said that he'd
been "whispering in Black
Caps coach John
Bracewell's ear about the
possibility of taking
Southee on the upcoming
tour of England."[9]
While in the selectors' eye
Southee took 6/68 in the
first innings of a first class
match against Auckland in
early December (the
innings ended on his 19th
birthday).[10] Within a
fortnight he was picked to
play for a New Zealand XI
side in a Twenty20 match
against a Bangladesh side
on 23 December 2007. The
game, played at Northern
Districts' home ground of
Seddon Park in Hamilton,
was a charity match for
cyclone relief in
Bangladesh, and not a full
international. Southee
bowled three overs and
took 1/31.[11]
On 30 January 2008,
Southee was named in the
New Zealand squad for
two Twenty20 International
games against England.
Selection Manager Sir
Richard Hadlee said:[12]
"Why delay producing
a player of some
talent? Perhaps I could
compare him with
Brendon McCullum
when he started - he
had a lot of potential.
It might take a lot of
time for Tim to find his
feet but why wait two
or three years when
someone is in a special
category? The feedback
we're getting is that
this guy has got it. He
runs in relatively
straight, he gets
through his action
nicely and he moves
the ball, particularly
away from the
batsman."
Southee's international
debut took place two years
to the day after he'd first
played under-19 cricket for
New Zealand, on 5
February 2008 in Auckland.
He took 1/38.[13] In the
second match, Southee was
New Zealand's best bowler
with figures of 2/22 from
four overs.[14]
Most of the New Zealand
squad stayed together for
the first three one day
matches that followed, but
Southee rejoined the
national Under-19 team
for the 2008 Under-19
Cricket World Cup in
Malaysia.[15]