Northern Knights allrounder Joey Yovich is hoping the elements allow the ground staff to produce a good pitch for their important limited-overs match against competition leaders Otago tomorrow.
The Cobham Oval outfield has already dried out from the weekend's heavy rain but the wicket block is a more delicate problem for
staff.
"I was at Cobham Oval on Monday and the wicket was still pretty wet, so we could use some sun and plenty of wind before the game to allow the ground staff to use the roller and get the moisture out of the block," he said.
"I'm confident they will, though. They've always prepared good wickets for us in the past but this will be more of a challenge for them."
Yovich said the change in the weather on Monday had lifted the morale of the team and given them hope the game could go ahead after two washouts in a row had left the side frustrated.
"We've been very limited in what we can do in terms of preparation for the match - just work in the indoor facility at the moment.
"Let's hope there's no more rain and we can get out and do some training but, more importantly, let the ground staff get everything ready for Thursday."
Otago vaulted to the top of the national one-day cricket standings on Sunday with a two-wicket win over fellow front-runners, the Auckland Aces, at Oamaru.
They took maximum points, while the other two fifth-round matches - including the Knights' match against the Canterbury Wizards - ended in washouts.
The southerners now lead the competition by two points, with the Aces, Wizards and Knights all equal in second place with 12 points. Wellington and Central Districts hold up the bottom of the table with six points apiece.
"Obviously, Otago have made the most of playing on the weekend and they've gone into the lead but fortunately for us we still control our future.
"We host Otago and then play Wellington and Central Districts, so we have the opportunity to perform well and progress into the playoffs," he said.
The toss may prove crucial, depending on how quickly the pitch dries but Yovich said that is often the case in one-day matches and they won't really know what to do until they get a good look at the pitch tomorrow.
The match is scheduled to start at 11am at Cobham Oval.
