Otago will go into today's home Plunket Shield match against Wellington without a specialist spinner.
Left-arm wrist spinner Michael Rippon has been ruled out with an abdominal injury, while former Black Caps spinner Mark Craig continues to struggle with a back complaint which has sidelined him for most of the season.
The Volts have resisted calling in 18-year-old left-arm spinner Ben Lockrose and have instead trusted part-time spinner Anaru Kitchen with the role.
"He is a part-timer but selection is always pitch dependent and the assessment is that the pitch will offer a bit more to the medium pacers," Otago convener of selectors Steve Martin said.
Kitchen was unavailable for the last match and his return will bolster what has proven to be a very fragile batting line-up.
Veteran top-order batsman Brad Wilson also returns. He effectively replaces Josh Finnie, who drops out of the side having really struggled in the longer format this summer.
The 22-year-old right-hander has scored 130 runs in five games at an average of 13.00. He scored more than half of those runs in one knock and has eight scores of 10 or fewer.
"Josh is obviously a very skilled player, so it is about learning to adapt to the longer format of the game and bat for longer periods of time. That is the work-on that is in front of him."
Wilson's inclusion should stiffen the batting line-up. He is a vastly experienced player with 14 first-class hundreds and 36 half-centuries to his name.
The 33-year-old is retiring at the end of the season and perhaps that is why he has been overlooked recently. It is unclear where the opener will bat in the order.
Hamish Rutherford and Cam Hawkins are likely to continue to open. Their partnership has obvious potential and has been one of the few highlights in some dismal batting performances.
"The coach will decide [where Wilson bats] on the day .... but he will bat in the order to assist the players around him and use his experience. That is the very reason we brought him in."
In a shuffling around of the seats on the bench, Tommy Clout is replaced by Christi Viljoen in the only other change from the side which lost by an innings to Central Districts in Napier earlier this month.
Otago is firmly anchored to the bottom of the table, while Wellington is just one spot higher but with 33 more points.
The Firebirds have named an impressive line-up which belies their lowly position.
Devon Conway is the star attraction. He is comfortably the leading scorer in the competition with 646 runs at an average of 107.66. He scored 203 not out the last time he faced the Volts' bowling line-up in a first-class game.
Teenage opener Rachin Ravindra is one to watch for the future. The left-hander is highly regarded and has made a decent start to his first-class career with four half-centuries in eight games.
Former Otago pair Jimmy Neesham and Michael Bracewell boast plenty of hitting power, and former Albion club player Ollie Newton is part of a threatening pace quartet which includes the competition's leading wicket-taker in Hamish Bennett.
And unlike Otago, Wellington has spin covered. Veteran tweaker Jeetan Patel has taken more first-class wickets against Otago than any other team during his lengthy career.
Since his debut in 2000, he has claimed 89 Otago wickets at an average of 25.68. That includes six five-wicket bags and 10 wickets in a match once.
The University of Otago Oval has been a productive venue for him, with 26 wickets at an average of 23.65.
