The Southern side has already secured a place in the final, but it will not be played in the South Island because all the round-robin matches have been played on the east coast from Timaru to Blenheim.

Wellington and Auckland will host the play-offs, where first meets second and third plays fourth, and they will be allocated depending on final placings. Any one of the other three teams could still fill second place, but Central is favoured, trailing Southern by just two points.

If possible, Northern will play at Eden Park's outer oval, and Central at the Basin Reserve, with the weather expected to be more settled by the first week in December.

Southern will seek to carry on its winning way against Northern, which in turn is wanting to strike back after the disappointment of its abandoned match against Pakistan A and double batting capitulation against Central last week.

Southern, on its policy of the first two matches, is likely to rest a pace bowler from this game, and if the rotation is continued, Geoff Allott will step down.

Northern has its pace bowling line-up bolstered by the inclusion of Cantabrian Shane Bond for the injured Kerry Walmsley, while interest will focus on whether swing bowler Simon Doull, troubled by a hamstring injury in the match against Central, gets through the game. Northern could also seek to strengthen its batting and include another top-order batsman after its failures against Central.

Central coach Denis Aberhart wants his team to continue in the vein it finished against Northern. Pakistan A is more of a known quantity now and is capable of testing the home team, on what is expected to be an excellent batting surface. Central has also been rotating its quicker bowlers, so Robert Kennedy may be rested, allowing David Sewell back in.

The matches are the last chance for players to impress the national selectors before the New Zealand A team is named to play Pakistan A.