The added tag of captaincy has greatly benefited Black Caps seamer Tim Southee, says teammate Ross Taylor ahead of the upcoming T20 series against England.
Southee, 30, will lead the Black Caps in their first international assignment of the summer, regular skipper Kane Williamson out with a hip injury, having previously led New Zealand to a 2-1 series victory in Sri Lanka earlier this year.
With bowler-captains becoming more and more of a rarity across international cricket, Taylor was full of praise for the different dimension of leadership that Southee has added to this Black Caps side.
"When he's not captain, he's a bit of a larrikin," Taylor said.
"He's a bit more serious when he's captain, I think it's added a new dimension to his game.
"He's been around for a long period of time, and has the respect of the team.
"It's not easy being a Twenty20 captain when you're a bowler, but I think his record, he's had a pretty successful time of it as a Twenty20 captain.
"Take away the four wickets that Malinga got [in Sri Lanka], and he might had a 100 per cent record."
The Black Caps begin their five match T20 series against England in Christchurch on Friday evening.
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