The Volts might need a good shake to get their T20 campaign on track.
But the Sparks just need a wee stir. They are not too far off the pace.
They sit mid-table halfway through the round-robin, but they have had a tough start to the tournament.
They have played the defending champions, Canterbury, and the competition front-runners, Wellington, twice each for just one win.
Their other win came against the Auckland Hearts in Alexandra on January 1.
It was a shocking last outing, though.
They were bowled out for just 69 in pursuit of Canterbury’s tally of 145 for seven.
Coach Craig Cumming suggested a lack of aggression in the field spilled over into a poor batting display.
And the fielding has been one area where the Sparks have been particularly poor. The effort against the Magicians was timid as best.
The players seemed reluntant to attack the ball which is certain to have been a topic of discussion during the post-match debrief.
They did not bowl as well as they have, either. But on balance their bowling is their strongest suit and it is causing a few selection headaches.
The Sparks opted to play three specialist spinners — Eden Carson, Linsey Smith and Sophie Oldershaw — against Canterbury which meant left-armer PJ Watkins and Molly Loe both missed out.
Watkins was the leading wicket-taker in the competition with eight wickets at an average of 8.50, while Loe took a career-best four for 12 in the previous game.
The three spinners took one for 69 from nine overs between them. Oldershaw got clobbered for 15 off her one over.
Part-timer spinner Suzie Bates took one for 19 from three, so in hindsight you have to question whether it was the right call to play all three specialists when there were two other really good options.
And while we are stirring the pot, Saffron Wilson scored a list-A century in her last outing and cannot win a spot in the Sparks’ T20 batting lineup which, Bates aside, has underperformed.
The veteran opener (235 runs at an average of 58.75) has scored more than three-times as many runs as the next-leading scorer for the Sparks.
Bates has actually scored just over 40% of the team’s total runs which is a heavy load to carry.
Oldershaw is unavailable for this afternoon’s match against Northern Districts, which means Loe will rejoin the 12.
Super Smash
Hamilton, 2pm
Otago: Suzie Bates (captain), Bella James, Olivia Gain, Felicity Robertson, Polly Inglis, Caitlin Blakely, Hayley Jensen, Linsey Smith, PJ Watkins, Eden Carson, Emma Black, Molly Loe.
Northern Districts: Cailin Gurrey, Chamari Athapaththu, Jess Watkin, Sam Barriball, Marina Lamplough, Eimear Richardson (captain), Nensi Patel, Carol Agafili, Marama Downes, Holly Topp, Kayley Knight, Jesse Prasad.
