Kurtis Patterson will captain New South Wales against Queensland in their bid to secure a place in the Sheffield Shield final with Peter Nevill unavailable due the birth of his second child.
Patterson will lead a side containing plenty of youth with wicketkeepers Matthew Gilkes and Baxter Holt both included while 20-year-old batsman Lachlan Hearne, who was part of the Australia Under-19 squad at last year's World Cup, could make a debut as New South Wales shake up the batting order which was dismantled for 32 against Tasmania.
A victory for either side in Wollongong would secure a home final but a draw could yet open the door for Western Australia to host the decider. A loss will leave them needing Western Australia not to win against Tasmania in Perth to cling onto a place in the final.
"It's a great opportunity for Kurtis to lead a young group of players," Michael Klinger, New South Wales' head of male cricket, said. "He is a highly respected member of the squad and we are looking forward to him taking on the challenge.
"Lachie has earned his place in the Blues squad with a string of very good performances. This is a great opportunity for a player who has come through the NSW pathway and performed well in both Premier Cricket and 2nd XI cricket."
Nick Larkin and Daniel Solway - who have averaged 29.00 and 24.00 respectively this season - have been dropped while Jack Edwards has also been included. Jason Sangha has been retained despite just 25 runs in three innings. Sean Abbott, who has scored over 500 runs, remains sidelined due to the split webbing he suffered against Tasmania
Patterson, who has not added to the two Tests caps he earned against Sri Lanka in 2019, is only averaging 22.61 from seven matches although he did score a century against South Australia.
New South Wales' IPL contingent - David Warner, Steven Smith, Moises Henriques and Pat Cummins - left for the tournament on Thursday so are unavailable for the rest of the season. However, the bowling attack remains strong with Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon both available alongside Trent Copeland and Harry Conway.
Josh Hazlewood has withdrawn from the IPL and though not considered for this match New South Wales are hopeful he will be available for the final if they qualify.
Squad Kurtis Patterson (capt), Harry Conway, Trent Copeland, Jack Edwards, Matthew Gilkes, Liam Hatcher, Lachlan Hearne, Baxter Holt, Daniel Hughes, Nathan Lyon, Jason Sangha, Mitchell Starc