Wellington Firebirds host Auckland Aces at the iconic Cello Basin Reserve. Wellington are anchored at the bottom of the table without a single win all season — this match represents a chance for pride and to spoil Auckland’s campaign.

Auckland (60 pts, 2 wins) are still in title contention and need to win to keep pressure on the top teams. Big news: Auckland’s wicket-keeper Cam Fletcher is ruled out with a back injury — a major blow to their lineup. Meanwhile Wellington’s Elliot Seddon took a five-wicket haul on his first-class debut this season, and Nick Greenwood scored his maiden first-class century.

Wellington Firebirds: Jesse Tashkoff, Nick Kelly, Oscar Jackson, Sam Mycock, Samuel Morgan, Tim Robinson, Logan van Beek, Nick Greenwood (maiden century this season), Peter Younghusband, Callum McLachlan (wk), Gareth Severin, Amogh Paranjpe, James Hartshorn, Liam Dudding, Michael Snedden, Ryan Tsourgas, Yahya Zeb

Auckland Aces: Bevon Jacobs, Dale Phillips, Harrish Kannan, Lachlan Stackpole, Rohit Gulati, Sean Solia, Siddhesh Dixit, Simon Keene, Adithya Ashok, Angus Olliver, Ben Lister, Jock McKenzie, Jordan Sussex, Matthew Gibson, Samrath Singh

Pitch: The Basin Reserve is one of New Zealand’s great first-class grounds. The famous Wellington wind creates movement for seamers, especially in morning sessions. Nick Greenwood scored his maiden century here this season — the surface can reward patient batting.

Weather: Wellington’s notoriously gusty winds expected. Some cloud cover — assists swing and seam bowling significantly. Low chance of rain on Day 1.

Note: With Cam Fletcher out injured, Callum McLachlan is the WK option. Rohit Gulati’s maiden 10-wicket haul this season makes him a must-pick differential — he’s the form bowler of the competition.

Auckland Aces are favourites despite being away. They have far more at stake in the title race and Rohit Gulati’s bowling form is exceptional. Wellington have been competitive all season but lack the cutting edge to close out matches.

This match can still go either way if Wellington’s seamers exploit the Basin Reserve conditions aggressively on Day 1 morning.