They will all be weighing heavily on Otago’s thinking today.
The Volts host Central Districts in a crucial twenty20 match at the University of Otago Oval.
Victory will lock in a playoff spot for Otago, following Auckland’s three-wicket loss to Northern Districts last night.
A positive result would also help clean the slate from the last time the two teams met. Otago had the better of that encounter, but let the match slip away in the final five overs.
And then there is Patel. The left-arm spinner looms as a key figure for the Stags. He took the key wickets of Neil Broom and Nick Kelly at McLean Park last week and will pose an obvious threat again.
Patel’s four-over allotment has been a hot topic at team meetings leading into the game.
‘‘Ajaz Patel is a big player for them and we let him into the game [last time], which we shouldn’t have,’’ Volts coach Rob Walter said.
‘‘The reality is we have the batters who can put him under pressure, but he has become a very, very smart bowler.
‘‘Potentially it is not so much about attacking him and putting him away, but understanding what we are happy with on the day.
‘‘Perhaps 30 would be a good enough result and look to get the economy rate up to the 10 mark against the others.’’
Otago left-handers Kelly and Anaru Kitchen shape as the best match-ups against Patel. His stock ball is in their wheelhouse and Kelly, in particular, has been playing spin well this season.
Fellow left-hander Hamish Rutherford’s role is to get the side off to a flyer, but he is another who might be able to mitigate the threat Patel poses.
The Volts controlled much of the last contest between the two teams, but missed a crucial run out opportunity against Kieran Noema-Barnett ‘‘which was game-changing’’.
‘‘And we have obviously learnt a few lessons in terms of the way we bowled at the death. We had that game ... but just gave it up.’’
‘‘[Today’s] match is a big game for us because it could solidify our position ...
‘‘But we don’t want to look too far ahead in terms of qualifying. We just want to play better and bounce back.’’
Otago has made one change to the side which lost to Wellington by 10 wickets on Monday. Mitch Renwick will take the gloves instead of Max Chu.
The Stags are unchanged.
■ The Northern Knights scored 173/7 to run down the Auckland Aces’ 170/7 last night to win by three wickets with an over to spare, with Anton Devcich top-scoring with 51 from 23 balls, while in the women’s competition the Auckland Hearts defended 138/6, restricting the Northern Spirit to 125/7 .
