Cricket: Expectations on Oram a heavy burden

Having done his best to shake off the label of New Zealand captain-in-waiting, Jacob Oram is now deftly fending off the tag of the new Chris Cairns.

The pair are playing their seventh and final test together at Trent Bridge before Cairns waves goodbye to his test career after 62 matches spread over 15 years.

It leaves Oram, 25 and with 12 tests to his name, clutching the baton from Cairns as New Zealand's premier all-rounder.

"I saw a quote from [England all-rounder] Andrew Flintoff saying 'I don't want to be the second Ian Botham, I want to be the first Andrew Flintoff'," Oram said yesterday after confirming he would play a full part in the test, despite trouble with a side strain.

"I don't want to say that, it sounds a bit cheesy to me, but I don't want to step into Chris Cairns' shoes. You would always be trying to fulfil people's expectations. I am a different player to him, I think he's a much more attacking player with bat and ball, and I'm probably a bit more conservative in my approach.

"But it all seems to be going pretty well for me at the moment and I don't want to change that."

Despite taking less licence to thrill than his fellow all-rounder, the numbers continue to stack up for Oram and, at this early stage, are superior in both disciplines.

He averages 43.58 with the bat and 28.41 with the ball, compared with Cairns' 34.09 and 29.77 from 50 more matches.

Cairns has not diminished the expectation on Oram, predicting several times in the past year that Oram would become the world's best all-rounder.

Flintoff is one of the form all-rounders after his 94 in the second test at Headingley, and South Africans Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock are never far from the top of the world list.

Oram said all the talk about the post-Cairns era would undoubtedly mean more pressure, but he was comfortable with it.

"We've talked about when he leaves, what the make-up of the side will be. The only time it will put pressure on me is when I perceive there to be more pressure.

"Every time I play I feel I'm gaining more confidence, and getting better. The results are starting to come my way."

The pair have worked together often, with Oram saying Cairns' value has been immense in teaching how to impose himself on a bowling lineup.

Oram's batting has continued to flourish in England, with an impressive 67 in the first test, then 39 and a rapid 36 not out off 31 balls at Headingley, including two big sixes off Matthew Hoggard in a lost cause.

"Fifteen years of international cricket, you would be a fool not to tap into that knowledge. He's talked to me a lot about the way I should play," Oram said.

"At the start we were going along the same lines of his game, now I realise I play a different game. He's talked to me a lot and I take what's relevant to my game.

"It's disappointing to see him leave because it's almost like he's near the peak of his form."

Meanwhile, New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming was busy contemplating a series whitewash by England. He has presided over only one in seven years and is intent on keeping it that way.

Talk of clean sweeps dominated pre-match discussion, with England shooting for their first 3-0 whitewash against New Zealand in 26 years, since Mark Burgess' New Zealand tourists were the victims in 1978.

Fleming's only 3-0 series humiliation in 60 tests and 24 series in charge was against Australia in 2000 when they won in Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton.

Yesterday, Fleming opted for selective memory loss when asked if had ever experienced a whitewash during his reign.

"I don't think so. I try not to recall those too much and we're very determined for it not to be the case here," he said.

New Zealand are on a rare test losing streak of three in a row, having gone nine tests unbeaten before the Boxing Day loss to Pakistan last year.

Their record in England also needs a boost, with just four wins from their 46 tests here.

"We haven't won too many tests in England and it gives us an opportunity to win one more here which is still pretty special," Fleming said.

"We're very disappointed not to be part of a live series, and winning one test match is all we've got to cling on to."

England captain Michael Vaughan spoke with a confident air, his team having won five of their last six tests.

They were denied a clean sweep in the West Indies in April, leading 3-0 before Brian Lara's world record 400 forced a draw in the fourth test in Antigua.

"We definitely want to win 3-0. We had an opportunity in the Caribbean and we missed out," Vaughan said.

"Our standards have been raised over the last few months, and it's up to the 11 players to go out there to make sure we keep reaching those standards.

"If we do, then New Zealand's going to have to play one hell of a game to beat us."

- NZPA