Adam Parore: Oram provides extra piece in puzzle

My tip for the key player if New Zealand are to seriously ruffle the South Africans this month? Big allrounder Jacob Oram.

The 15-man squad contained no surprises for me, with no one who could mount a worthy complaint that they were unlucky to miss out, although a number could say they were good enough, and had the form, to be playing test cricket.

Given New Zealand's long-running battle with injuries, this has rarely been the case and we now see a situation where quality players are regularly being left out.

At present we know we've got good batsmen, Shane Bond will take wickets anywhere and Daniel Vettori is a world-class spinner.

But my pick is that Oram might provide that extra piece in the puzzle.

His injury problems are well documented, but we have to assume he's fully fit and also a near certainty to last the distance.

Oram's ability to extract bounce and bowl what's known as a heavy ball will be beneficial in South African conditions, particularly at Centurion and Johannesburg, where the first and third tests are to be played.

I can see him as the crucial bowler in our lineup, with all due respect to James Franklin, Chris Martin and co.

Also, I suspect his batting will suit the conditions.

He should be set up nicely to prosper as the elements will probably be in his favour more than if the series was being played in New Zealand.

Oram is clearly earmarked to bat at No 6, which looks like bad news for Scott Styris.

At a glance, Styris, who averages over 40 in tests and scored an important century just three innings ago, should be a shoe-in. But there's a numbers problem.

Consider that two of Jamie How, Hamish Marshall and Michael Papps will open.

Captain Stephen Fleming and Nathan Astle must be fitted in and coach John Bracewell clearly likes newcomer Peter Fulton.

That leaves Styris vulnerable.

In most other times in recent memory, a player of Styris' ability and record would be a certainty. Not so right now.

This panel has made it clear no one is assured of selection, even if you've just come off a test hundred.

A number of media commentators remain fixated on a selection policy that demands that if you are good enough or deserving enough to play they must fit you in.

That approach is good for ensuring continuity to an individual's career (which they like) but is clearly not in the best interests of the team and rarely helps you to win games.

The current selectors have recognised this and jettisoned that approach in favour of selecting the best side, with the proviso that occasionally an individual may find himself a little unlucky.

That was the case a few weeks back with Lou Vincent, and history now shows that although he was disappointed, the world did not come to an end, and the Black Caps did not crumble without his presence.

The same will likely follow for Styris and the New Zealand bowling will be significantly strengthened as a result.

Up at the top, my guess is Marshall won't be required at Centurion. How has had a decent season and is a long-term, settled opener. So is Papps, although he's been missing for some time since his unfortunate encounter with Brett Lee a year ago.

As Marshall has less than 100 runs in his last eight innings it would be fair to say the clock is ticking.

The West Indies series has reinforced to everyone, again, that openers are one area you should not tinker with. It is a specialist job, therefore pick specialists.

On this basis Papps may get the nod and the chance to show us his newly adapted technique against quick bowling. It's likely the South Africans will be keen to see the results for themselves so he will get plenty of opportunity to impress against the short stuff.

Having taken a few on the scone myself I can assure you that a searching examination of your technique against sustained, genuinely quick bowling is a fair challenge for anyone so he will have his work cut out.