If it comes down to a boundary countback then Josh Finnie is a strong chance of picking up the final Otago playing contract for 2021-22.
The association announced its first round of contract offers on Monday and the hard-hitting all-rounder was missing from the list of 15 players.
The Volts still have one contract left to offer and Finnie is hopeful he will nab it.
The 24-year-old has been a regular presence in the one-day and twenty20 side since making his debut in 2014.
He has played 18 first-class matches as well but made the decision to focus on white-ball cricket a year ago.
His hitting power, innovation and ability to score boundaries off good balls has seen the association invest heavily in his potential.
Finnie is often cast in the finishing role in T20 and that is the toughest gig around.
Most people in that role chalk up more failures than successes. You have to be mentally tough and have an unwavering desire to keep putting yourself under enormous pressure.
Finnie, who began a carpentry apprenticeship in February, still has that desire.
"All going well I’ll hopefully get that last contract,’’ he said.
Finnie was named Dunedin club cricketer of the year but he did not enjoy the same level of success at the top level last season.
He scored just 45 runs in four T20 games and 66 runs in six one-dayers for Otago.
"The games did not go quite as planned but I’m still feeling pretty good in the nets and everything like that. That is just cricket.
"Sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t."
There will be some stiff competition for that last spot, however.
First-class opener Camden Hawkins collected one of the last playing contracts last season.
He has shown potential with five first-class centuries in 14 games.
Llew Johnson forced his way into the T20 line-up last season on the back of some strong form for Otago A and his club side.
He started well with a promising knock of 72 but faded.
Max O’Dowd could also be in the mix. He was in dynamic form for Otago A last season.
He scored 568 games in nine games at an average of 63.11, including three centuries.
The Auckland-born player has also had success for the Netherlands. In seven ODIs for the Dutch he has scored 330 runs at an average of 55.
