It's a long way from Pakistan but Blacks Caps cricketers Mark Richardson and Shayne O'Connor will undoubtedly enjoy their time in Alexandra this weekend.

Molyneux Park will host the pre-season State Otago Volts 'practice/trial' match on Saturday and Sunday giving new Otago coach Glenn Turner his first opportunity to view the value of an extensive winter programme. Fellow selectors Chris Taylor and Michael Austen will also be in attendance.

Richardson heads one team with former Otago skipper Robbie Lawson in charge of the other. For Lawson the match presents his first step back having missed last season through injury.

Turner has named two strong sides although he is naturally frustrated with the number of players unavailable - due to injury, duties elsewhere or not yet having returned from overseas commitments.

Twenty-three players have been named for the weekend's match, with this number to be trimmed to 14 for matches against the New Zealand Academy at Lincoln in early-October and against Canterbury in Christchurch in mid-November.

The teams for the 'practice/trial' match are:

Lawson's team: Andrew Hore, Mike Hesson, Robbie Lawson, Jordan Sheed, Martyn Croy, Nathan Morland, Shane O'Connor, Bradley Scott, Shoruban Pasupati, Kerry Walmsley, Jamie Brundell.

Richardson's team: Mark Richardson, Shaun Haig, Anthony Wilkinson, Hayden Anderson, Simon Beare, Scott Waide, Tony McEntyre, James McMillan, Neil Rushton, David Sewell, Dick Quirk, Daryl Reddington.

Unavailable are: Craig Cumming, Craig Pryor, Lee Germon (all injured), Nathan McCullum, Brendon McCullum and Warren McSkimming (all involved with the New Zealand Academy) and Chris Gaffaney (not yet home from playing duties in England).

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