Cricket: Back injury threatens end to Oram's season

A cloud is hanging over New Zealand's second one-dayer against the World XI today after news that Jacob Oram's season is at the crossroads.

The big-hearted all-rounder is undergoing tests on an as-yet undiagnosed back injury that has kept him out of the first two matches against the World XI, and is threatening to put him out for the season.

Oram could hardly bring himself to utter the words yesterday, but eventually conceded that there were real concerns that the injury might be a stress-fracture, possibly from attempting to bowl too fast on the pre-Christmas tour in Australia.

If the fears were realised, the 1.99m Oram would almost certainly be sidelined until the tours to Zimbabwe and South Africa next spring, and serious questions would be raised about his ability to continue as a front-line bowler.

"In the back of my mind, I think it's very hard not to think of a worse-case scenario, especially given the recent run of injuries to other players," Oram said at Wellington Airport. "I've never had a stress-fracture, it's not a word I like to mention at the moment because I'm trying to keep that well out of my mind - but it's hard not to think about it.

"That's why I'm very keen for the next couple of days to go well for me."

New Zealand's bowling ranks have been blighted by stress-fracture injuries over the past decade, the most high-profile cases involving the forced retirements of Geoff Allott and Dion Nash, the on-going problems faced by Chris Cairns and Daniel Vettori, and the current rehabilitation of Shane Bond.

But far from being a recent scourge, most of New Zealand's pace bowlers have been affected by stress-fractures in their backs, among them Gary Bartlett, Richard Collinge and Dayle Hadlee.

Oram believed he might have caused the problem during the whistle-stop tour of Australia at the end of last November, when he was part of a front-line bowling attack that was collared by the hosts' world-champion batting line-up.

"I think sub-consciously I have been trying to bowl a bit quicker," he said. "I think it came about in Australia, where - without thinking, you tend to bowl as hard as possible, because the margin for error is so small."

With 17 tests and 70 ODIs under his belt, not to mention a growing reputation as one of the world's up-and-coming all-rounders, Oram has experienced his fair share of back stiffness and muscular pain over the years, but said his present injury was worryingly different.

Whereas muscular complaints usually improved quickly, this one was proving more stubborn and showed no signs of abating.

The teams

Westpac Stadium, Wellington, 2pm today.

* New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (c), Nathan Astle, Mathew Sinclair, Hamish Marshall, Craig McMillan, Chris Cairns, Brendon McCullum, Kyle Mills, Daniel Vettori, Jeff Wilson, Daryl Tuffey, Scott Styris (12th man).

* World XI: from Shane Warne (c), Andy Bichel, Matthew Elliott, Ian Harvey (Australia), Craig Spearman (NZ), Graeme Hick, Nick Knight (England), Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara, Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka), Lance Klusener, Jonty Rhodes (South Africa), Heath Streak (Zimbabwe).