It's all been happening rather quickly for Ian Butler over the last 24 hours but he was pleased to get his first training run behind him and to meet most of his new team-mates in the CLEAR Black Caps in Christchurch today.

Butler, 20, of Northern Districts will make his international debut at Jade Stadium tomorrow, weather permitting, as New Zealand take on England in the first One-Day International of the National Bank Series.

Even if only half the ground capacity is taken up for tomorrow's game, the crowd of 14,000 will be far greater than anything else Butler has ever played before.

And even the prospect of finding out how fast he bowls will be a new experience.

Questioned at a press conference today about how fast he bowls, he replied: "I don't know, I've never been on the radar."

Butler, who only made his first-class debut this summer, said his goal for the summer had been to perform well for ND and to maintain a spot in that side.

"This came completely out of the blue, but I will give it my best shot," he said.

At least he knows what it is like to have bowled at the English batsmen. He played in both ND's one-day games against the tourists on Friday and Sunday.

"What those games showed me was they can be beaten, and it was good to play against them before I have to step up to this level to play them," he said.

The Pukekohe-raised bowler has played all his youth cricket in ND, and for New Zealand Under-19.

He said that new ND coach Bruce Blair had been a big help to him.

"He's helped me a lot and given me a lot of confidence to go out there and bowl fast and straight. That's all he says to me, 'don't complicate things' so that's all I do, go out there and bowl fast and straight.

Having been rushed from obscurity into the limelight he was pleased to have that first practice behind him. While there he had a chat with Chris Cairns which had been a boost.

"It was good to get a training out of the way and talk to all the lads and get the nerves out of the way," he said.

"I'll just have to brush that aside and let it help me," he said of the moment when he first grasps the ball and runs in to bowl.

Most encouragingly of all was the fact that so far in his career he has never suffered any significant injuries.

"Touch wood, I've had none so far," he said.

© CricInfo