Cricket: Oram rules out playing in England

1.00pm

New Zealand allrounder Jacob Oram has made up his mind -- playing county cricket in England is not for him.

The Manawatu cricketer, who left with the Black Caps for Bangladesh today, had recently been linked to playing county cricket next year.

After some consideration, he said he would reject advances from any counties.

"It is best for my body not to do it," Oram said. "Financially, it is hard to look past it. But it is in the best interests of myself and playing for New Zealand to stay here and get my body right for the Zimbabwe and South Africa tours next season."

He said that after weighing up the pros and cons, the decision was fairly easy to make.

Manawatu coach Neil Perry, an Englishman, was pleased to hear it because he said the county scene was a difficult slog.

International players had a heavy enough programme as it was.

"It's different when you're up and coming trying to make a name for yourself," Perry said.

"But for a quick bowler it's a hard life; there's a lot of overs to be bowled and not a lot of recovery time."

He said it was one reason why England had been struggling to generate enough quick bowlers, although the advent of central contracts now gave international players more latitude.

Ironically, Oram's replacement for the one-day series in Bangladesh is Andre Adams, who is coming off good form from three months with English county side Essex.

Oram went shopping yesterday to stock up on marmite and cheese in case he needed to supplement his diet while in Bangladesh.

He will be playing only the test matches there and, at the behest of the selectors, is to fly home with captain Stephen Fleming and bypass the one-day series ahead of the series in Australia.

"It is purely a resting period, from three one-dayers in six days -- so it's only one week," Oram said.

He didn't have any imput into the decision to rest him.

"You'd prefer to be playing, that goes without saying, when you're fit and available," Oram said.

"But it was basically a command -- it came straight from the top, from the selectors. I think it's good because we've got a huge series coming up. And you want to keep playing for your country."

Oram said it was one of the selectors' new initiatives to rest players when the team could get by without them and it would mostly apply to the bowlers.

After a season of flitting back and forth to England, the odd rest period was refreshing, Oram said.

"It's good to come home, chill out and let your hair down."

- NZPA