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I agree that the modern schedule is rather full on and tough on the bowlers, but I also think that our batsmen need as much cricket at the highest level as they can. It’s a hard thing to balance.
The problem for teams like New Zealand is that we don’t have enough top quality bowlers to give guys like Shane Bond and Jacob Oram enough time to recover.
Bond has bowled too many overs too often it seems. The stresses of bowling 150km must be enormous.
Bond always tries his hardest and it’s too much for his body to handle. It’s a shame Bond has had such an interrupted career. He surely would have taken a lot of wickets for New Zealand.
I doubt we will ever see Jacob Oram back in the test format.
His body too has taken too much punishment from bowling a lot of overs. Pace bowling is just so hard on the body, and when you are as tall as Oram and Bond, it seems to be too much to sustain over a long period.
Oram had a long run of injuries which kept him away from the game for a while. He has remodelled his bowling style and now bowls a bit slower.
He used to bowl around 135-140km; now he is around 125 km. With his height he still gets nice bounce and with a close to immaculate line and length he is a great one day bowler.
Now that he seems to be bowling a comfortable pace I hope he doesn’t suffer any more injury.
I think Oram’s form with the bat suffered from the time spent away from the crease. He was the ICC number one ranked all-rounder in the world before he got hurt, so hopefully he can rediscover his batting talent.
Not many guys can hit the ball as far as Jacob Oram.
Watching Oram bowl recently made me think of Glen McGrath, a bit slower yes. It was the ease of each delivery and the consistency.
The way he put the ball on the spot looked almost effortless; yet the batsmen had few answers.
If he can get his bat working again, Oram would be a great asset to any team. Unfortunately, it is unlikely he will ever play test cricket again.
Standing in the field for three days is tough on a bad back, as well as having to bowl a lot of overs.
Oram is a big man (1.98m) and is closer to the end of his career than the beginning. By limiting himself to the shorter format of the game he should extend his career by some degree. That’s the plan, I believe.
Perhaps by playing more cricket he would stay in condition and be able to play longer, but I think he has the right idea. When you’re that big, bowling lots of overs means that eventually something has to give.
As a One Day International player, Oram’s reduced pace makes scoring difficult and his consistency makes him a reliable and inexpensive bowler good for a cheap ten overs.
If he can sort out his batting, then Oram makes the ideal all rounder in the shortened game. He hits the ball hard and can score a lot of runs quickly.
If Oram is having a good day New Zealand is hard to beat. We know he can win games with either bat or ball.
Jesse Ryder should take on a similar role as Oram in the test side, although Jesse will probably bat higher than Oram did and bowl a bit less too.
Ryder appears to be the best batting talent New Zealand have seen in a long time. While still young, he has played some very well constructed innings and shown that he can take bowlers to pieces when needed.
Having played only eleven tests, Ryder has already notched up four half centuries, two centuries and a double century against India. At an average just under 50.
Ryder bowls a consistent line and length, usually wicket to wicket. He has the ability to bowl good Yorkers on demand and has bowled well in the last overs of the shorter format.
Ryder has shown the knack for picking up wickets and breaking partnerships. A quality part time bowler, with the potential to contribute a lot more with the ball in the future.
Grant Elliot is another all rounder, who has shown potential with both bat and ball but, like Ryder, is only a part time bowling option.
James Franklin is another all rounder in the New Zealand side, on and off, who could do more with the ball.
Franklin first played for New Zealand as a bowler. A good left-arm fast-medium noted for his reverse-swing.
Since then, Franklin went on to develop his batting, becoming an accomplished first class batsmen now with nine centuries and a double century to his name.
At test level, Franklin is yet to prove himself as an all-rounder, with just two fifties and an unbeaten 122. Although most of his 26 tests were as a bowler producing 80 wickets.
If Franklin can produce his best with the ball, his improved batting skill could be a huge asset to New Zealand. Perhaps enough to make up for Chris Martin’s comical batting technique.
I am told he has a vision problem that makes seeing the ball difficult, he is a bowler anyway and while everyone should bat these days, I wouldn’t deny Martin his spot as a frontline bowler because of his batting.
What’s missing is the ability to take twenty wickets. New Zealand do have some quality seamers, but if conditions don’t suit sometimes, they struggle to take wickets.
Bond added fire power to the attack, with the ability to get wickets when the seamers are not having any luck.
With Dan Vettori providing a world class spin option, New Zealand have a solid bowling attack.
But without Bond, it can be hard for New Zealand to take twenty wickets if the conditions don’t provide some assistance for the seamers, either in the air or off the pitch.
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