Otago can finish their own season with pride, and dash another team’s title hopes, when they end the summer with one last Plunket Shield game over the next four days.
The Volts have long been out of the title race, but have played some good long-form cricket in recent weeks.
They beat Central by 70 runs in Alexandra, and claimed a chunk of the honours in a draw with Auckland at the University Oval, so they will be keen to finish with a flourish against Northern Districts in Dunedin.
Otago will also be looking to play spoiler.
Northern lead the Plunket Shield on 89 points and know victory over the Volts will mean they hoist the silverware for the first time since 2011-12.
Wellington (82 points) and Canterbury (80) are to play each other, so Northern know they likely need an outright in Dunedin to stay on top.
The Otago selectors have made a couple of changes to the squad.
Regular captain Luke Georgeson makes a welcome return to the Volts after a two-month layoff with a hamstring injury.
The Volts have also called up tall right-arm fast bowler Toby Hart, a Queenstown product who helped Taieri win the Bing Harris Shield.
Hart, 21, played a Ford Trophy game for the Volts earlier this summer, but will be on his first-class debut if he makes the cut.
Llew Johnson — who has had a decent campaign — and young fast bowler Thomas O’Connor drop out of the squad.
Northern Districts coach BJ Watling has named a familiar squad of 13.
All-rounder Fergus Lellman gets the first-class call-up again, as does pace bowler Scott Johnston.
Season regular Brett Hampton is out after securing an opportunity in English country cricket.
Former Otago favourite Neil Wagner makes potentially one last visit to the University Oval.
Plunket Shield
University Oval, starts today
Otago: Luke Georgeson (captain), Matt Bacon, Jacob Cumming, Dean Foxcroft, Toby Hart, Andrew Hazeldine, Brad Kneebone, Ben Lockrose, Jarrod McKay, Thorn Parkes, Dale Phillips, Jamal Todd.
Northern: Jeet Raval (captain), Henry Cooper, Bharat Popli, Joe Carter, Robbie O’Donnell, Fergus Lellman, Ben Pomare, Scott Kuggeleijn, Kristian Clarke, Neil Wagner, Rohit Gulati, Scott Johnston, Josh Brown.
