Word is even Otago fast bowler Michael Rae can squeeze in his entire run-up.
The new winter marquee at Tonga Park is nearly 50m long, so he ought to be able to generate plenty of heat.
And it is a game-changer for the Volts.
For the first time in, well, forever, Otago seam bowlers can regularly train on grass during the pre-season.
Otago coach Dion Ebrahim was delighted his seamers would be able to train on a natural surface so early in the year.
"This is a special moment for Otago cricket and really good for the cricketers coming through, not only for the Volts but for our pathway players and for the Sparks as well," he said.
The advantage from a preparation point of view is obvious. But the facility will have some health benefits as well.
"An issue a lot of players have is when they transition from an indoor surface to grass [is they can pick up injuries].
"The ability to train as you would play can start a lot earlier.
"It is a good-sized marquee as well. A lot of the others, the bowler can’t actually use their full run-up, so this provides us with as best a training opportunity as you can get."
The winter marquee has been on the wish list for a few years and Otago captain Hamish Rutherford said it was "amazing it is finally here and we’re able to hit on grass so early".
"It is more real and much more like what we are going to get come the first game," Rutherford said.
Otago has lost its opening Plunket Shield game of the season for four consecutive summers. Some of those defeats have been on the heavy side as well, so anything the team can do to better prepare can only help.
The structure is 48m long and 18m wide. It houses an eight-strip wicket block and is equipped with electric lights to help improve the visibility for batters.
The marquee was erected earlier this month in three days. The facility has to be dismantled by October 30, so it is very much a temporary solution to a long-term problem.
But the Otago Cricket Association hopes to build a permanent structure at the ground in the next few years.
Chief executive Mike Coggan declined to say how much it had cost. But the marquee has come from the New Zealand Cricket high performance centre at Lincoln.
NZC staff came down to help with the installation.
"The first step was to get this up in time for September 1," Coggan said.
"Now we can work with the council to get building consent for a permanent structure near where the Queen’s gym is. It will be a bit bigger. It will be 65m by 23 or 24m.
"We are hoping we can use this for up to two years and it will probably take us that time to work through that process for the permanent one."
