6 Jan 2009

Oram withdrawn from CD game as precaution

2:06 pm on 6 January 2009

The injury-prone Jacob Oram's woes continue. An Achilles tendon strain has forced the New Zealand cricket side to withdraw the all-rounder from playing for his provincial side Central Districts on Monday.

The injury resulted in Oram bowling just one spell in the weekend loss to the West Indies in the rain reduced second one dayer in Christchurch.

Black Caps coach Andy Moles says the injury seems much better 24 hours later but they need further medical advice to ascertain the extent of the damage.

Several other members of the New Zealand one-day international cricket squad have been released to play in domestic State Shield games on Monday.

Otago's Neil Broom and Brendon McCullum, Wellington's Grant Elliott and Mark Gillespie, Northern Districts' Daniel Flynn and Central Districts' Jamie How and Ross Taylor will all turn out for their respective sides.

Auckland host Otago at Eden Park's Outer Oval, Canterbury host Wellington at QEII Park and Central host Northern Districts at Fitzherbert Park in Palmerston North.

The national selection panel head, Glenn Turner, says the players wanted to play in the domestic one day games during the brief window in the series against the West Indies and the timing was ideal.

Turner says the three-day break between international games with players having a day either side of the State Shield games means it's an excellent opportunity to give some of the squad extra game time.

The third one dayer against the West Indies is scheduled for Wednesday in Wellington.