Veteran Green Island medium pace seamer Dion Lobb has answered an SOS and been named in an Otago side decimated by injury and unavailability.
Otago's bowling stocks, in particular, have been ravaged by injury with Bradley Scott, Craig Smith, Sam Blakely and new signing Warren Barnes all ruled out.
New Zealand A duties have removed another four more players - Michael Bracewell, Derek de Boorder, Jacob Duffy and Neil Wagner are all involved in the series against Sri Lanka A.
Batsman Anaru Kitchen is also out for up to four weeks after he broke a bone in his hand in Rangiora last week, and promising all-rounder Josh Finnie is also sidelined with illness.
There is some good news, though. Blacks Caps test players Hamish Rutherford, Jimmy Neesham and Mark Craig are available for Otago's opening Plunket Shield match against Central Districts in Napier on Thursday.
The result is a rather eclectic Otago side which features two rookies in North East Valley wicketkeeper Adam Miles and Taieri right-armer Jack Hunter, and Lobb, who played one game for Otago eight years ago and had probably given up on making another appearance.
Otago coach Nathan King said it was unsettling to have to go to the well so early in the summer.
''It is not ideal with having so many guys unavailable for the first game,'' he said.
''We always knew we would have guys in the New Zealand A team but we've been hit by a number of injuries and that has caused us to go outside our squad for the first game.
''Jack Hunter has been on our radar for a few years now and has been involved in winter programmes and is good to go.
''Dion Lobb, well, we know what a fine club bowler he is and now we are asking him to potentially perform a role for us in our first Plunket Shield game.
''[Dion] caught wind of that fact we were struggling ... and it will be great to see him get another opportunity at first-class level.''
Lobb took one for 37 in his only first-class game, trapping Carl Cachopa lbw.
Miles will keep in the absence of de Boorder and will make his first-class debut, as will Hunter if he makes the starting XI.
Former Northern Districts captain Brad Wilson will be making his Otago debut after shifting south following 11 seasons with ND.
With both Duffy and Wagner missing, and Neesham managing his workload while he gets back to full fitness, the acid will go on all-rounder Sam Wells and relative newcomer Michael Rae to shoulder the bulk of the seaming duties.
Otago team
For Plunket Shield
Hamish Rutherford (captain), Brad Wilson, Ryan Duffy, Neil Broom, Sam Wells, Jimmy Neesham, Mark Craig, Nick Beard, Adam Miles, Michael Rae, Dion Lobb, Jack Hunter.
