Cricket the way it used to be - that is how this year's domestic twenty/20 tournament is being billed, at least.
The HRV Cup gets under way with Central Districts playing Northern Districts in Hamilton tonight.
It is a return to the "good old days" of grassy embankments, blankets and chilly bins and tennis ball cricket matches between innings, the adverts read.
Maybe so, but this hyped edition of the HRV Cup is not exactly cricket the way it used to be.
NZC has changed the rules this season to allow each association to field two overseas players.
That change, and the lure of a Champions League spot, has paved the way for players such as Herschelle Gibbs, David Warner, Luke Wright and Brett Lee to sign on.
Their addition to the team sheet is sure to pull more punters through the gates, bolster TV ratings and add to the skills on display.
But it also smells festive.
Last season, Northern Districts chartered a helicopter to ferry Sri Lankan blaster Tillakaratne Dilshan from Auckland Airport to Mt Maunganui's Blake Park in time for its twenty/20 fixture against Wellington.
This summer the same association has signed four imports - Gibbs, Warner, Brad Hodge and David Hussey - for brief stints to bolster its prospects.
Gibbs will miss the opening three rounds while playing for South African side the Cape Cobras, more if the Cobras make the playoffs.
How much time Warner spends on the park will depend on whether he is selected to play in Australia's four-day competition for New South Wales.
Hodge will play in the first four rounds, while Hussey has signed on for just the second round game at this stage.
No crests will be kissed but it is an impressive line-up on paper and enough for the TAB to install Northern as tournament favourite.
The question remains, though, whether the overseas-based players will be able to adjust to New Zealand conditions quickly enough to make an impact on the tournament.
Wellington has followed Northern's lead and opted to sign high profile imports in Brett Lee and Luke Wright, while Canterbury is keeping its fingers crossed Shaun Tait will get medical clearance.
Picking the outcome of twenty/20 matches is a lottery at the best of times but neither side looks to have the depth of some of the other associations.
Otago, Central Districts and Auckland have made more modest additions to their respective squads.
They were the top three sides last year and should be competitive again this summer.
Otago has signed English county players Darren Stevens and Chris Nash.
While Stevens and Nash might sound more like the name of England's fourth favourite folk band or an accountancy firm, they have solid records and, sensibly, are available for the duration of the tournament.
They will have more time to adjust to conditions and contribute to the team culture, and no-one around these parts really knew much about England batsman Jonathan Trott before he played for Otago in 2005-06.
Add the likes of punishing batsmen Neil Broom and Aaron Redmond and in-form strike bowler Neil Wagner, and the 2008-09 champion boasts a very useful side.
Unfortunately, the timing of this year's tournament means the Black Caps will only make two or three appearances for their provinces between arriving home from the ODI series in India and the beginning of the Pakistan tour.
For Otago, that means they will be deprived of the services of the McCullum brothers, Brendon and Nathan.
Likewise, last season's champion Central Districts will be without proven match-winner Ross Taylor and Jamie How for most of the season.
But with the likes of Jacob Oram, Mathew Sinclair and Peter Ingram, Central Districts has plenty of batting depth and remains a threat.
Auckland can call on the destructive powers of former Black Caps Lou Vincent and Andre Adams and all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme is a player watch for the future.
