That is you, Michael Rae.
The former Otago pace bowler is on the cusp of making an unlikely test debut at the age of 30.
Northern Districts all-rounder Kristian Clarke has also been added to the New Zealand squad for the second test against the West Indies, which gets under way at the Basin Reserve today.
The Black Caps’ seam bowling crisis deepened last week. Spearhead Matt Henry (calf tear) and all-rounder Nathan Smith (side strain) were injured during the first test against the West Indies.
They join the likes of Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, Matt Fisher, Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne on the list of unavailable players, while Kyle Jamieson is still building up his workload in a managed return to red-ball cricket.
There was not a lot of wriggle room left for the selectors.
It must have been tempting to send Neil Wagner an SOS, but they have gone with a very similar plan.
Rae is a tall man, a combative character with a strong sense of belief.
The right-armer bowls at a good clip and brings a lot of energy with the old ball.
And he is not afraid to employ the bouncer.
He did for Otago what Wagner did for New Zealand for years.
He runs in hard and hits the stickers or the ribs. He is much quicker than Wagner, but not as accurate. Very few can match Wagner’s accuracy, though.
As the years drifted by, Rae, who made his first-class debut in 2014, had wondered whether he would ever represent his country.
"There was a period in my career where I was involved in the New Zealand A set up — I had just come back from a tour of Australia and felt like I had done reasonably well and felt like I was potentially in with the chance then," Rae said.
"But what I learned from that was I was starting to worry too much about performances and I should just stop and enjoy my cricket.
"So it wasn’t about making peace with the likelihood that it may never happen, it was more about remembering why I play and trying to enjoy it as much as I can."
Rae transferred to Canterbury in 2023-24 for family reasons, but he is an Otago man.
He was born in Dunedin and schooled at John McGlashan College.
When he was in year 12, he took three catches for a New Zealand XI in a warm-up game against England in Queenstown in 2013.
Rae might not be a household name, but he is easy to spot.
He bowls in a headband reminiscent of Chris Martin. He is also a bit of a character in the dressing room.
His first-class career is solid.
Rae has picked up 208 wickets in 70 games at an average of 32.86.
They are not head-turning statistics which thrust you into the national spotlight.
Clarke is six years Rae’s junior and is a player on the rise. He clubbed an undefeated list A century for Northern Districts this summer and had three first-class half centuries.
The former under-19 national representative has 79 first-class wickets at an average of 32.93 and is perhaps lucky to get the nod ahead of Central Districts all-rounder Josh Clarkson, who has been the most impressive of the seamers in the Plunket Shield this season and appears to have added some pace.
He is a hard-hitting batter who averages 31.53 in first-class cricket.
The other change to the side has left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner dropping out with a groin injury and Otago all-rounder Glenn Phillips rejoining the side after a long battle with his own groin injury.
Second test
Wellington, 11am
New Zealand: Tom Latham (captain), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitch Hay, Zak Foulkes, Blair Tickner, Jacob Duffy, Michael Rae, Michael Bracewell, Kristian Clarke, Will Young.
West Indies: John Campbell, Tagenarine Chandrepaul, Alick Athanaze, Shai Hope, Roston Chase, Justin Greaves, Tevin Imlach, Kemar Roach, Johann Layne, Jayden Seales, Ojay Shields, Brandon King, Kavem Hodge, Jomel Warrican, Anderson Phillip.
