Blackcaps star Glenn Phillips hopes to shake more than just his tag as a limited-overs specialist, as he sets sites on becoming a genuine option with his off-spin bowling.
Phillips has been included in coach Gary Stead's test squad to tour Pakistan, almost three years since his one and only test match against Australia.
The 26-year-old is coming off a stellar white-ball season, as leading NZ runscorer at the T20 World Cup, with his explosive hitting and acrobatic fielding catching captivating cricket fans from all over the globe.
His exploits have seen him become one of the great exponents of the game's shortest format, after playing in various T20 leagues around the world.
But his call-up to the test squad has Phillips is eager to prove his worth in whites and he believes his spin-bowling will only add to that.
Ish Sodhi and Ajaz Patel are the side's frontline spin bowlers, with Michael Bracewell and Kane Williamson also options with their off-break.
Phillips believes, should he be selected in the first XI at Karachi on Boxing Day, new captain Tim Southee will toss him the ball.
"It depends on the balance of the side," he said. "There are so many overs that are going to be bowled out there with the tracks we've seen produced at the moment.
"It's highly likely I will get some overs and any overs are gold, especially on the world stage, against a team like Pakistan, with some of the world's greatest batters over there. It's going to be a nice challenge and hopefully I get a couple of overs.
"Tim's always been a big fan of my bowling. When we played Bangladesh in a couple of T20s last summer, he really gave me the opportunity there and I ended up doing quite well, which is nice.
"I really enjoy him as a captain and I enjoyed 'Noss' [Kane Williamson] as a captain as well, but having Tim now from a new fresh perspective is also going to be good.
"From a bowling perspective forward, he does face me quite a lot in the nets, he does know what I can produce and from that perspective, he can use me in the game accordingly.
"I love chatting spin-bowling. I love chatting spin much more than I enjoy chatting batting, so I'm always talking with Ish.
"I'm always talking with Jazzy [Ajaz Patel] quite a lot, trying to pick their brains, gameplans - also technical side of things and how to get more revs on it."
Phillips signalled his intent to become an all-rounder, when he made the move from Auckland to to Otago to replace the retiring Anaru Kitchen.
He expected to play for his new team around this time of year, but now hopes to further stake his claim, when he returns from international duty.
"That was the whole point of the move to Otago, to try and get more overs under my belt, and try to push my case here," he said.
"The things that came with the Blackcaps the last year or so, I didn't necessarily foresee happening so far.
"I would've liked to have played a few more games for them [Otago], but obviously playing for your country is first and foremost.
"Game practice is the thing I'm missing out on at the moment. With Anaru retiring last year, I managed to sneak in there and take the allrounder spot."
