Batsman and occasional wicketkeeper Polly Inglis returns to the team after missing the opening round of games due to personal reasons. She replaces Katie Topham.
Inglis was in good touch during the women's under-21 tournament in Auckland recently. She was the competition's third leading run scorer with 282 runs at a average of 47, including a high score of 97. She also did a fabulous job behind the stumps.
The 19-year-old is also a very talented hockey player. She put a lot of energy into that sport last year and did not get the results in cricket she would have liked as a result.
But Sparks coach Warren Lees, who also coached the Otago under-21 team, believes she is back on track.
‘‘All her efforts in the last three months before the season last year had been put into hockey ... and she struggled a wee bit when she came back,'' Lees said.
‘‘But she has got through all that. She has not given up hockey by any means but gee, she is just ... well, people are coming up and asking what has happened to Polly Inglis. 'She looks great'.
‘‘She took the senior role in the team and wicket-kept extremely well.
‘‘It is a real jump up from under-21s and we are playing against [some] international players, obviously. But she got some real confidence out of the tournament.''
Inglis' return will bolster the Otago middle order, which means Lees will need to rejig the batting line-up.
The Sparks will still lean on its key players Suzie Bates, Leigh Kasperek and Katey Martin with the bat and Morna Nielsen with the ball. But Lees hopes Inglis will make an impact and that others like Victoria Abbott, Caitlin Blakely and Millie Cowan can step up.
Otago beat Auckland in its opening twenty20 match but lost both one-dayers. The team is looking for an improved performance in Lincoln.
‘‘We relied heavily on our named players during the first round.
‘‘While we can't always expect them to play well, if they don't, the next group is lagging behind and so that is what we are working on.''
Northern Districts is not one of the strongest teams in the competition and Otago will be hoping for a clean sweep in the three-game series.
Otago v ND, Lincoln tomorrow
Otago Sparks: Suzie Bates (captain), Millie Cowan, Leigh Kasperek, Katey Martin, Polly Inglis, Megan Gibbs, Victoria Abbott, Caitlin Blakely, Isabella James, Morna Nielsen, Georgia Clarke, Ella Brown.
Northern Districts (possible): Caitlin Gurrey, Natalie Dodd, Kerry Tomlinson, Brooke Halliday, Kate Anderson, Felicity Leydon-Davis, Alisha Rout, Mel Knight, Natalie Edwards, Sarah Carnachan, Holly Ferling, Emma Parker
