Overseas or not to overseas?

So with a deal apparently done with Aussie quick Peter Siddle to join Essex for the first half of the 2011 county season, Siddle has sadly had to pull out for personal reasons leaving Essex to either find another overseas pro to fill the void or go against it and stick with the players currently on the staff.

Rumour has it The Eagles are now after New Zealand’s 22 year old star swing bowler Tim Southee and if this is to be the case it would appear a very smart move.

Southee first came to prominence on his test debut vs England where he took 5-55 before smashing 77 off 40 balls in albeit a losing cause to burst onto the international scene.

Whilst Southee hasn’t gone on to set the test arena alight, the Northern Districts bowler has taken 35 wickets in 13 test matches @ 42.54 with an economy of a decent 3.4 runs as over, however, it’s in the Twenty20 scene that Southee has excelled with 22 T20I wickets in 19 matches @ 25.90 and at just 8.5 runs per over – in domestic T20 his record is even better with 48 wickets in 39 matches @ 23.39 going at 8 per over.

With the bat, Southee averages just 16.55 at first class level (21.38 in tests) but with 3 half centuries it’s clear there is talent especially to clear the ropes.

For me, Southee would be a very good signing having been talked about on the official Essex cricket forums as a potential Eagles player for some time now and his right-arm swing bowling would no doubt be very useful in April/May English conditions – the fact the New Zealand conditions are very similar to the UK would make Southee a very worthwhile signing.

With the county also keen to return to T20 finals day and finally get their hands on the silverware, Southee would come into his own judging by his T20I and domestic T20 stats in New Zealand and would complement the attack very nicely – a miserly David Masters with a wicket taking Tim Southee at the other end would give The Eagles a superb new ball pairing that should pressure straight away on the opposition batsman.

If a deal is to be done it would have to be quick with Southee currently still at the world cup although even if New Zealand get to the final it would still leave a week before the start of the county championship season and should hopefully provide time for Southee to arrive for the first match vs Kent.

But what if Southee isn’t the man, what if ECCC are unable to find a suitable overseas replacement?  Should Eagles fans be concerned?  Whilst the batting is shored up with Cook and Bopara at our early season disposal, the bowling would look very good should Southee or ANOther not be recruited.  Of course Essex could go down the loan route as they did successfully with Andy Carter last season but with a fit Graham Napier, Maurice Chambers and of course fellow blogger Chris Wright, there should be enough seam bowling cover for 8 championship matches in the first two months of the new season.