New Zealand Cricket bowling coach Vaughn Johnson believes Otago has sufficient firepower in its bowling to progress to the last eight of the Champions League twenty/20 tournament beginning in India next month.
Johnson, a former Otago player and coach, has been called in to help prepare the Volts' attack before its biggest challenge.
Otago opens its campaign against South Africa's Cape Cobras on October 10 and plays the Bangalore Royal Challengers two days later.
A win in either of those matches could be enough to send Otago through to the final eight.
And while twenty/20 is a batsman's game, Johnson rates the Otago attack, which includes three international players: Black Caps Nathan McCullum and Ian Butler and English all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas.
"Having Nathan McCullum adds a huge amount to their attack," Johnson said.
"And in guys like [Mat] Harvie, [Warren] McSkimming, Mascarenhas, [James] McMillan, Butler and [Neil] Wagner you've got pace bowlers who are proven at first-class level, and some of them proven at international level.
So with Nathan and young Nick Beard in the spin attack, along with those six quicks, you've got a really balanced attack," he said.
Veteran medium-pacer McSkimming had performed well for Otago for the past 10 seasons and was a player who could easily have gone on to play international cricket, while South Africa-born Wagner was a bowler with great potential, Johnson said.
The weather had aided Otago's build-up, with clear sunny days allowing plenty of training outdoors.
"I think one of the things that has helped the boys spruce up on their skills has been the wickets down at Logan Park.
Tom [Tamati, the groundsman] was able to get the [bowler's] run-ups ready for us three weeks ago and that has helped enormously.
"Guys can bowl indoors" but there was nothing like getting outside and increasing workloads, he said.
The secret, and there was no secret, was bowling yorkers.
That was one of the few trump cards a bowler had up his sleeve when the slog was on.
Hitting the "hole", as it is called, was crucial.
"The side who is going to be successful is the side that can bowl yorkers at will.
The thing that hurts you, obviously, is batsmen hitting the ball out of the ground at the finish," he said.
Otago leaves for Brisbane on Friday morning and will play warm-up matches against the Queensland Academy and South Australia before heading to India on October 2.
It completes its preparation with games against Indian Premier League champions the Deccan Chargers under lights at the Uppal Stadium on October 6 and English county side Somerset the following day.
