Cricket: Oram to undergo surgery

Injury-prone Black Caps allrounder Jacob Oram will have surgery on his injured knee next week, ruling him out of the lucrative Champions League.

Oram returned home from Sri Lanka on Wednesday after hurting his patellar tendon during training as the New Zealand team prepared for their final tri-series one-day match against India, which they lost by 105 runs.

He had problems with the same knee before April's Twenty20 world championship in the Caribbean and then re-injured it during July's pre-tour camp in Darwin.

It was hoped the injury could be managed conservatively but it worsened through the tournament in Sri Lanka.

It is unclear how long surgery will sideline the 32-year-old but he is definitely unavailable for Central Districts' Champions League Twenty20 campaign in India next month.

Medical staff will review Oram's progress for four to six weeks to assess his availability for New Zealand selection.

Oram was positive about making a full recovery this year, with a view to being fully fit for the one-day World Cup in February and March.

"While I'm gutted to miss the Champions League with the Stags I'm thankful the medical specialist has found the problem now so we can get the right plans in place to get it right," Oram said in a statement.

"I've been told that I should be realistically targeting the Pakistan homes series at the end of the year, but who knows, if surgery and rehab goes well I may be available for selection before the Indian tour in November."

Oram said his run of injuries had been frustrating but he was confident of returning injury-free to represent his country.

He has been beset by medical issues during an international career dating back to 2002. He retired from test cricket last October in a bid to extend his career in the limited overs formats.

- NZPA