Captain Katey Martin's doing her best to carry an Otago team limited on veteran presence

The 35-year-old along with her Sparks teammates have struggled with the white ball this summer, with no wins in either the Twenty20 or one-day domestic competitions so far.

Martin says the loss of White Ferns allrounder and former skipper Suzie Bates to injury has been huge.



The Sparks take on the Northern Spirit at Bay Oval this afternoon.

First ball's in 35 minutes.

Later in the men's competition, the Otago Volts face the Northern Knights at 7:10.