When the quicks run out of steam it is the slow bowlers who come on and plug away over after over.
Otago has been well-served over the years, with some fabulous slow bowlers donning the strip.
They are the focus of the final in our series of profiles on the greatest cricket players in Otago's history.
The series is designed to help readers name their all-time Otago XI. Your selections should be based on the contribution and impact players had for Otago in first-class cricket.
We have selected a panel of experts to name the Best XI, which will be unveiled on December 18.
You can enter at any time between now and noon on December 16 by emailing your Best XI, plus a 12th man, to adrian.seconi@odt.co.nz or by posting it to Best XI Competition, ODT Sports Department, P O Box 517, Dunedin 9054.
The winner will be the person whose team most closely matches our own. If two or more entries are equal, a random draw will be held.
The Otago Daily Times and the Otago Cricket Association has arranged an exceptional prize for such an important competition.
The winner will receive an hour-long team coaching session in Dunedin with Otago coach Mike Hesson, Otago captain Craig Cumming and OCA cricket manager Mark Bracewell, to be donated to an Otago school of the winner's choice.
Also in the prize package is a bat signed by Black Caps brothers Brendon and Nathan McCullum, and a copy of the Bert Sutcliffe book, The Last Everyday Hero.
Every team should probably include at least one slow bowler and you may opt for a second depending on the mix of your final side.
In alphabetical order, here are the leading contenders.-
> JACK ALABASTER
65 matches, 264 wkts at 21.73
Some say he is the best legspinner to play for New Zealand and he certainly had an impressive record for Otago. He took 14 five-wicket bags and 10 wickets in a match three times. Only four players have taken more wickets for the province but three of them are spinners. He also scored three 50s.
> STEPHEN BOOCK
88 matches, 399 wkts at 20.63
No-one has taken more wickets for the province or, arguably, been more potent. His haul of 399 wickets will take some beating and could stand for some time to come. Boock had exceptional control and on the right surface was lethal. He was also prepared to attack through a patient line and length and superb flight. He took 28 five-wicket bags and 10 wickets in a match five times.
> JOHN BRACEWELL
23 matches, 102 wkts at 18.85
Bracewell is just another in a long list of quality spin bowlers to call Otago home for a time. The former New Zealand coach took 10 five-wicket bags and 10 wickets in a match three times for the province. He was also a hard-hitting lower order batsman and scored 651 runs at an average of 19.72.
> ALEXANDER DOWNES
44 matches, 287 wkt at 13.59
It is a great shame few remember the name Alexander Downes for he was one of the greatest bowlers to represent the province. The right-arm offbreak bowler played for 27 seasons - an Otago record - and took a staggering 33 five-wicket bags and 10 wickets in a match 13 times, also Otago records. While he played during a time when the pitches were bowler-friendly, it is a remarkable record which cannot be dismissed.
> ALEX MOIR
54 matches, 282 wkts at 21.01
An attacking legspinner, Moir turned the ball prodigiously and his pace made it hard for batsmen to get down the wicket to counter his turn. Only two players - Stephen Boock and Alexander Downes - have taken more wickets for the province. Moir twice took eight wickets in an innings and claimed 20 five-wicket bags and 10 wickets in a match five times. He was a useful lower-order batsman with five 50s.
> PETER PETHERICK
26 matches, 114 wkts at 21.00
The offspinner famously took a hat trick on test debut and is one of only three players to take nine wickets in an innings for Otago. He took nine for 93 against Northern Districts in Dunedin in 1975-76 - one of eight five-wicket bags. Don McKechnie nicked Chris Kuggeleijn out to deprive Petherick of a remarkable 10-wicket haul. Petherick was kept out of the Otago side by talented offspinner Gren Alabaster and did not make his first-class debut until he was 33.
> PAUL WISEMAN
43 matches, 136 wkts at 27.94
Wiseman was a hardworking offspinner who could turn the ball sharply in the right conditions. Like Boock, he was capable of ripping through the best batting line-ups. His best performance was eight for 66 against Wellington in 1996-97. He took seven five-wicket bags and 10 wickets in a match once.
