Hoggy and Southee face big test

Matthew Hoggard and Tim Southee are separated by 12 years, 243 wickets and 66 appearances, but both will spend the rest of this week trying to secure their Test futures.

Hoggard is England's sixth most successful bowler of all time. Even so, 248 victims in 67 games did not save the Yorkshire paceman from being axed in New Zealand two months ago.

As for 19-year-old Southee, taking five wickets on his Test debut for the Kiwis against Michael Vaughan's team at Napier in late March should guarantee a starting place at Lord's next Thursday.

But, like Hoggard, Southee is under the microscope at Southampton's Rose Bowl as New Zealand play England Lions in their final warm-up game before the First Test.

"I'm captaining a bloke who is going to be desperate to show what he can do," said Kent opener Rob Key, who is leading the Lions team. "If he has a great session with the ball then he's got a great chance of being selected."

Southee would be a certainty for Lord's already but for a niggling back injury.

"We have to make sure he's fit," said New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, himself an absentee today after damaging his spinning finger at Chelmsford. "But if he bowls well here then it will be a foregone conclusion."