Cricket: Oram to undergo scan on his back

Don't hold your breath waiting for a miraculous recovery from New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram.

One of the country's most influential players over the past year, Oram is to undergo an MRI scan on his back to determine whether his recent setback is the result of a cursed stress-fracture injury - the mortal enemy of all fast bowlers.

If the scans show it is, Oram will be sidelined for the rest of the season, and in the worse-case might have to consider reducing his work-load with the ball and concentrate more on his batting.

The big Central Districts player had a batting practice on Sunday to test the degree of healing, if any, to his back, but according to New Zealand Cricket sources felt no better and has resigned himself to a more conclusive scan.

The development is not a good one for Oram, as it means medical staff have effectively given up on the chance that the injury is muscular, and are now starting to concentrate on the state of his vertebrae.

NZC media manager Anthony Clearwater confirmed yesterday there had been no favourable news for Oram after his light batting practice and that the next step almost certainly involved an MRI scan.

The 26-year-old Oram is the latest high-profile New Zealand pacemen to be beset by back problems, following the injuries suffered by Geoff Allott, Dion Nash, Chris Cairns, Daniel Vettori and Shane Bond.

The injury blow couldn't have come at a worse time for New Zealand, as Oram was expected to play a leading role in the one-day series against Australia next month and the subsequent three-test series.

However, unless the 1.99m right-hander receives the sweetest possible news after the scan, he will be forced to rest throughout the rest of the summer, missing not only the Australian visit, but also the two April tests against Sri Lanka.

Presuming he is sidelined, New Zealand will need to find a replacement third-seamer first and foremost, as Oram's role at the bowling crease has been arguably more critical than his batting at No 7.

With that in mind, coach John Bracewell will be paying particular attention to the candidates over the next few weeks, among them James Franklin, Kyle Mills and Jeff Wilson.