KEY POINTS:
From the people who brought you the Irrelevance of Net Practice and the Fallacy about Footwork comes another likely blockbusting hit - The Unimportance of Form.
New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram floated the concept this week as he prepared for the second test against Sri Lanka, saying he
was unconcerned about his scratchy performance with the bat at Christchurch because be believed form was overrated.
His comments follow those of axed New Zealand batsman Hamish Marshall, who didn't believe in net practice, and injured all-rounder Scott Styris, who shocked all traditionalists last year with his views on footwork (see below).
Oram, who looked among the most clueless of the New Zealand batsmen in the low-scoring opening test, had seen little cricket before facing the Sri Lankans, and appeared particularly at sea against the wiles of Muttiah Muralitharan.
That would be enough to worry some batsmen, but the tall left-hander denies feeling any extra pressure heading into this morning's test, apparently because he relies more on his feelings than concrete form.
"I know form gets talked about a lot but I think it's just an attitude thing and a matter of how confident you are," he said this week.
"Some people from afar will think that runs at a lower level will help, but I know in myself that, just because I score runs at another level doesn't mean I'm going to score them at test level.
"I can hark back to South Africa this year when I got a golden duck in the only tour game and then scored a century [in the first test] at Pretoria."
Oram said he had faith in his game and in the way he was playing at net-practice, and wasn't fazed about the idea of facing the Muralitharan-led attack again, despite his struggles against the turning ball last week.
The 28-year-old faced only three balls in the first innings before falling to Chaminda Vaas, but made hard work of the chase in the second innings, eking out an unbeaten 12 after surviving a torturous examination by Murali.
But he can look back on an excellent career record with the bat, having pushed his average up to 41.93 with the assistance of three high-quality centuries - against South Africa at Hamilton in 2004, against Australia at Brisbane the same year, and his 133 at Centurion.
"I know it's different, but I've been feeling so good in the nets, and for me it's a matter of transferring that feeling into the game situation," he said.
"For me, it's about knowing I can do the job, and I know I can. It's just a matter of taking it out there."
As one of the top six, Oram shared in the responsibility for the sudden collapses that rocked New Zealand in both innings of the first test, and said there was an intense determination within the batting line-up to bounce back in Wellington.
New Zealand lost four wickets for seven runs in the first innings and four for 10 in the second, continuing on from their near-comic form in South Africa, where they slumped to 28 for six at Centurion, and three for two at Johannesburg.
"It's about guys individually making sure they take responsibility in terms of creating a big innings for themselves, a big partnership with someone else, and a big total for the team," said Oram.
The challenge was a tough one, he explained, because Sri Lanka had a fantastic bowling attack that was reasonably well-suited to New Zealand conditions, and a star performer who was viewed as one of the greatest ever.
But there was no blanket agreement within the home side on the most effective strategy to counter Muralitharan, whose match haul of seven wickets at Jade Stadium has boosted his career tally to 668 wickets at 21.88.
"It comes back to the individual game-plan employed, because we'll all play him differently," Oram said.
"We're left-handers and right-handers, we're short and tall, we've all got different strengths and weaknesses, so we've got to work out what's right for ourselves.
"I struggled at Christchurch and I'm the first to admit that. It was turning a lot, it was turning both ways and he's a very good bowler, like they say. But the bottom-line is that I didn't get out to him, and I've got every confidence that we'll do okay against him up here."
Oram also believes today's test match will be more closely contested than the first, and that both sets of batting line-ups were likely to respond positively to the disappointment at Christchurch, where the match was completed within three days.
"I don't think we'll get such a low-scoring test match because Christchurch was like a kick up the backside for both teams," he said. "I can see it being closer and definitely more competitive.
"Personally, I think Christchurch was good for me.
"To have a failure and then to come through in the second innings with a battling not out was good for me, and I'll be the better for it here in Wellington."
STYRIS RE-WRITES THE MANUAL
Scott Styris on footwork, from December 2005:
"I've really subscribed to the no-footwork theory. I know that sounds strange but it's not as bad as a lot of purists would imagine.
"It just means that I'm trying to get myself into a position where I'm hitting from a stable base.
"I feel that most of the best players around the world have limited footwork but are very strongly balanced when they strike the ball; it's quite a noticeable trend.
"The concept of foot movement can be a bit misunderstood.
"It doesn't quite happen like the MCC coaching manual of 50 years ago. You just can't do that any more."