Cricket: Trip crucial part of Otago side's preparation

It is not often you have to pack your winter woollies for a cricket trip but the Otago team may have to do just that.

The Volts leave for sunny Tauranga on Sunday for a series of five twenty20 matches against a composite team made up from New Zealand and Northern Districts players.

It is a crucial part of the team's preparation for the Champions League, which gets under way in India with a qualifying series in the middle of next month.

The Volts are hoping for fine weather and the forecast looks promising.

The temperatures certainly will not replicate conditions in the subcontinent and coach Vaughn Johnson said there was a contingency plan in place if it rains, which basically involves training indoors.

Weather willing, though, the side will train during the mornings and play in the afternoons from Monday through to Friday.

A squad of 12 will be named after a training session on Thursday.

The McCullum brothers, Brendon and Nathan, and fellow internationals Ian Butler and Hamish Rutherford are being rested and will not be considered for selection.

Spinners Nick Beard and Mark Craig are both carrying injuries and may miss the trip as well, Johnson said.

Craig had surgery on an ankle injury during the winter and is still regaining his fitness.

Beard has suffered a recurrence of the shoulder problem which sidelined him at the beginning of last summer.

''We just want to wait and see how those two guys are before we name our 12 to go up there,'' Johnson said.

Imports Brett Lee and James Fuller will not feature during Otago's campaign.

Lee cited business commitments for his unavailability and Fuller failed to secure a release from his county club, Gloucestershire, to play in the lucrative tournament.

Otago is still sweating on the availability of Dutch international and Essex all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate.

He helped power Otago to its domestic twenty20 title with more than 400 runs.

''We won't know until the first week of September, which is not ideal. It is out of our control. We just have to wait and see. If Essex is in contention to win a trophy then I'd imagine that Essex won't release him.''

The composite team will feature New Zealand players such as Trent Boult, Dean Brownlie and Peter Fulton and the likes of former Black Cap Daniel Flynn and Jono Boult should ensure Otago gets some good preparation.

The team will fly to Sri Lanka on September 4 and play four twenty20 games against first-class opposition before heading to India for ''one or two'' further warm-up matches before its opening qualifying game against the Faisalabad Wolves on September 17.