Otago is flat out flat-batting the white ball all week.
The Volts have gone into white-ball mode despite the fact their next assignment is actually with the red ball.
They will host Northern Districts in a first-class game which gets under way at Molyneux Park on Monday.
Otago was meant to be playing an away Plunket Shield match against Auckland this week and would have had next week to prepare for its opening Super Smash game against the Central Stags in Dunedin on November 28.
But the schedule had to be tweaked due to alert level restrictions and it will play a star-studded Northern Districts team in a four-day game instead.
If the match goes the distance, the Volts will be busy until late Thursday.
They will travel back to Dunedin on Friday and play the Stags in a T20 on Sunday.
There simply is not enough time to adequately prepare, so they have bought their preparation forward.
The reverse sweep, the ramp, the scoop and the hoick over cow corner are all back on the agenda.
They will have to shelve some of those more ambitious attacking shots on Monday and go back to what has worked so well.
Otago has scored more first-class hundreds (six) this season than in its previous two campaigns combined.
The top four have all posted centuries, and Otago celebrated a 161-run win in its most recent outing against Central Districts.
The Volts were without leading seamers Jacob Duffy (illness) and Michael Rae (hamstring) in that match, so it was a terrific effort.
Wrist spinner Michael Rippon and part-time left-arm tweaker Anaru Kitchen teamed up to take five fourth-innings wickets and help seal the win.
Duffy and Rae have returned to fitness and will be considered for selection. The team is expected to be named tomorrow.
‘‘We’ve just one more training to get through just to make sure that they are fully fit,’’ coach Dion Ebrahim said.
‘‘We are spending this week focusing on our white-ball skills and dedicating time and thought processes to that because we do have a quick turnaround.
‘‘So we need to get all the planning, all the conversations, all the strategies in place now so its seamless when we transition into white ball cricket.’’
That white-ball training might not be totally wasted. If the Volts find themselves trying to chase down on target on the last day, those reverse sweeps, ramps, scoops and hoicks over cow corner will be back in the play book.
