The Otago Sparks will get a glimpse today of what life will be like without Suzie Bates and Katey Martin.
The talented duo are on national duty and are missing from the Sparks line-up for the one-day match against Central Districts in Palmerston North.
All-rounder Leigh Kasperek is also in Australia with the White Ferns and top-order batsman Polly Inglis is unavailable due to work commitments.
Their absence has stripped the Sparks of four of their top five batsmen.
Bates and Martin have carried the bulk of the batting load for so long. But the pair are closer to the twilight of their careers than the dawn, so the back-to-back games at Fitzherbert Park will give the team an insight into what the next generation of players offer.
They are the last two games for the summer and the Sparks will field a makeshift top order of Olivia Gain, Caitlin Blakely, Millie Cowan, Bella James and Megan Gibbs.
"They are just inexperienced, that's all," coach Nathan King said when asked about the challenge.
"They are normally used to batting six, seven and eight. In Olivia Gain's case, she has had a few games opening the batting. But she is simply inexperienced.
"But what I'm hoping for is that these guys, who are going to get opportunities, really make the most of those opportunities.
"They've got some ability. But we can't expect them to go out and perform the way the White Ferns players would. But I hope they show they have made progress with their own game."
In the absence of Inglis and Martin, Gain will take the gloves. She is an accomplished keeper, so it is an area in which the Sparks boast some depth. But it will be a busy weekend for her, all the same.
The big challenge for the Sparks will be in posting a decent tally or being able to chase down a challenging target.
Kasperek's absence will be sorely felt at the bowling crease, as well. Leg-spinner Sophie Oldershaw will pick up some of the those overs. She has performed well in the past but picked up an injury at the start of the season and has been unavailable.
One to watch is teenager Molly Loe, who could become one of the youngest Sparks in recent history.
Loe (15), from the Valley club in North Otago and now a member of the dominant St Hilda's squad, is a swing bowler showing rare promise, having just started year 11 at school.
King feels the Sparks have made some improvements from last season. The team has won four of its eight one-day games and also collected four wins in the Super Smash.
"It has been OK, I guess," he said.
"That is a slight improvement on last year. But I certainly had hopes of us doing a bit better in the T20 competition.
"I think we got ourselves into positions where we could have won more of those T20 games. But we let ourselves down at times with either some poor bowling or poor fielding."
Otago v Central Districts
Otago: Olivia Gain, Caitlin Blakely, Millie Cowan, Bella James, Megan Gibbs, Emma Black, Eden Carson, Ella Brown, Sophie Oldershaw, Molly Loe, Bridget Thayer, Emma Walton.
Central Districts: Anlo van Deventer, Jess Watkin, Natalie Dodd, Kerry Tomlinson, Emily Cunningham, Esther Lanser, Melissa Hansen, Mikaela Greig, Georgia Atkinson, Kate Baxter, Claudia Green, Taila Hurley.
