North East Valley medium pacer Travis Muller has been added to an otherwise unchanged Otago squad.
The South African-born medium pacer has struck some tremendous form in club cricket.
He took seven for 13 against Carisbrook-Dunedin at Ocean Grove on Saturday, so the right-armer will not be short on confidence if he gets a run against Northern Districts at Molyneux Park tomorrow.
The Volts are unlikely to tamper with their line-up, though.
The side has started the twenty20 competition with two wins and a narrow loss from three completed games.
Otago also picked up two points from an abandoned match against Auckland before Christmas.
A couple of wins in Alexandra will leave the Volts on the cusp of clinching a playoff spot. Typically five wins has been enough.
Muller may come into the reckoning for Monday’s match against Canterbury.
That game is also at Molyneux Park and the pitch is not known for its pace and bounce. Muller may be a better option than Michael Rae, who is quicker and has been the most expensive of the Otago bowlers in the campaign to date.
"We needed to have some bowling cover in the squad just in case something happens to one of the others," Walter said.
"Travis has continually put his hand up and he has worked very, very hard for an opportunity."
Muller played in Otago’s opening first-class match this season but struggled, taking one for 75 from 14 overs.
"Since then he has only gone forward, so that four-day game is a distant memory."
Last year the pitch at Molyneux Park fell below the standard expected of a T20 wicket. It was slow and low and took turn.
Otago limped to 99 for seven and Northern Districts had a few issues, but eventually overhauled the modest target. It was not a great watch for the 1800 or so spectators.
However, Walter said the pitch has a completely different look this season and he expected it to play well.
That will be a relief for Otago’s in-form batting line-up. The Volts had four batsmen in the top 10 for runs scored before the Christmas break and are lucky to have held on to one of them.
Opener Hamish Rutherford has been hitting the ball so well it would not have been a surprise had he been called into the test squad as a replacement for the out of form Jeet Raval.
The Black Caps decided to give that opportunity to reserve wicketkeeper Tom Blundell instead.
Blundell made a century on debut, but he is not an opener and it is a big ask to plonk him at the top of the order against a quality Australian attack and expect him to perform.
"I think you are seeing someone at the top of his craft," Walter said of Rutherford.
"When you start hitting sixes over extra cover with minimal effort you know you are hitting it well.
"It is a bonus for us [to still have him in the squad]."
Twenty20
Molyneux Park, tomorrow, 4.10pm
Otago: Hamish Rutherford, Neil Broom, Nick Kelly, Dean Foxcroft, Anaru Kitchen, Josh Finnie, Michael Rippon, Nathan Smith, Max Chu, Jacob Duffy, Michael Rae, Dale Phillips, Travis Muller.
Northern Districts (possible): Dean Brownlie (captain), Tim Seifert, Anton Devcich, Joe Carter, Brett Hampton, Daryl Mitchell, Daniel Flynn, Scott Kuggeleijn, Ish Sodhi, Anurag Verma, Matt Fisher, Brett Randell.
