Retiring allrounder Chris Cairns believes his retirement will have a beneficial spin-off - we will get to see the best of Jacob Oram.
Cairns said his heir apparent had potential that had yet to be fully unlocked. "It's probably good for him that I'm retiring," Cairns said.
"As much asJake has probably played better than I have over the past year, generally I'll get more publicity and focus. Jake is now the centre point in the team."
Cairns is a big admirer of the Central Districts batsman who transformed himself into a quality allrounder at the start of the decade. If there is one thing holding Oram up, Cairns said, it is a lack of awareness of his ability.
"He's just got to understand how good he is," Cairns said. "He's a quiet man which is unusual for his size but his nature is quite placid.
"He's still got some way to go before he matures as a bowler but the key for him is to understand how good he is."
Oram will no doubt figure highly in the 'senior group', a quasi-management structure within the team that assists Stephen Fleming with planning. With Cairns gone and Nathan Astle's place in the side not guaranteed, that senior group is undergoing change.
"They're looking at re-structuring the senior player group ahead of the World Cup," Cairns said.
Despite his departure and the fraying around the edges of a core of players - including Astle, Craig McMillan and Chris Harris - Cairns said there was no reason why New Zealand should not be a major player at the World Cup. "I believe the team is healthy, I really do."
