Auckland v ND
Colin Maiden Park, 11am tomorrow
Fancied seeing the big names turning out in tomorrow's domestic one-day final at Colin Maiden Park?
Forget it. Auckland and Northern Districts will both be without key players. Martin Guptill and Daryl Tuffey are ruled out for Auckland, while ND's New Zealand captain Dan Vettori and Tim Southee have been told to rest as well - or, in national selector Vettori's case, it was a matter of ordering himself to put his feet up.
Test openers Tim McIntosh and BJ Watling, who won't be figuring in the early stages of Australia's tour starting on Friday, are released for the match, the fourth meeting between the northern neighbours this season.
ND won the two games which bookended the round-robin, but Auckland gave them a towelling at Colin Maiden Park in the first preliminary final last weekend. ND were bowled over for 104, Auckland racing to an eight-wicket win.
All getting a bit ho-hum between these two, then?
"It gives you a pretty healthy respect for what they're capable of really," Auckland coach Paul Strang said. "We know they have some real danger men that we need to be aware of."
Foremost in Auckland's minds will be the form batsman of the competition, young ND all-rounder Kane Williamson.
He has hit 552 runs at 78.85, including two hundreds and four fifties. His last seven innings in the competition have produced 107 not out, 70, 108 not out, 77, 81, 1 and 84.
Throw in experienced brothers Hamish and James Marshall, Michael Parlane, Daniel Flynn and Peter McGlashan and ND, who cleaned up Central Districts in the second preliminary final in Whangarei mid-week, have a good core of run-makers.
All-rounder Joey Yovich provides the balance and Brent Arnel, Bradley Scott and Graeme Aldridge are part of perhaps the best fast-medium combination in domestic cricket.
Auckland finished top of the round-robin, then took route one to the final with that win over ND in the preliminary final last weekend.
Their best two batsmen in the competition have been import Ravi Bopara - who has been good value with 434 runs at 54.25 - and Reece Young, who is averaging 48.25. Scott Styris and Andrew de Boorder have also been useful contributors.
Not to forget the lively Lou Vincent, who has gone off the boil since a flying start in the Twenty20, and McIntosh, who is in good nick if required.
Left-armer Michael Bates' 14 wickets at 21.21 have him level top wicket taker in the competition, while Bopara, Lance Shaw and spinner Ronnie Hira have been important figures with the ball too.
Auckland are in their third final in four seasons, after winning the 2006-07 final against Otago in Dunedin, then losing to the same opponents the following season at Eden Park.
ND are defending champions, having beaten Otago last summer.
Auckland, at home and with the familiarity of the conditions, will start favourites, but ND didn't make the final by a fluke. It should be a tight contest.
AUCKLAND v ND
Auckland: (from) Gareth Hopkins (c), Lou Vincent, Reece Young, Tim McIntosh, Ravi Bopara, Scott Styris, Andrew de Boorder, Anaru Kitchen, Jimmy Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Ronnie Hira, Michael Bates, Lance Shaw, Bhupinder Singh.
ND: (from) James Marshall (c), Graeme Aldridge, Brent Arnel, Anton Devcich, Daniel Flynn, Hamish Marshall, Bruce Martin, Michael Parlane, Peter McGlashan, Bradley Scott, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson, Brad Wilson, Joseph Yovich.
