Oram may pull out of IPL citing injury woes and form

Oram may pull out of IPL citing injury woes and formAuckland (New Zealand), Mar. 31 : New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram has said that he may opt out of 675,000 dollar Indian Premier League contract if he fails to complete the State Championship final.

The injury-plagued all-rounder is suffering from an aggravated Achilles tendon injury, and after consulting New Zealand Cricket''s medical staff it was decided he should miss the current match and aim for the five-day final against Auckland, starting on April 6.

"I can understand people thinking I''m cotton-woolling myself, but I''ll definitely take myself out [of the IPL] if I don''t get through the final," Oram said.

"I''m pretty confident I will make the final and I won''t be tiptoeing through five days of cricket. I''m going to hit it hard, and deep down I think I''ll be okay," the NZPA quoted him, as saying.

Oram bowled 25 overs in the first innings of Central''s last match against Canterbury, but was unable to bowl in the second innings because of pain in his Achilles.

"I was testing myself to see if I could get up to speed for the Napier test, but clearly I wasn''t ready.

"The injury is back again but it''s not a train smash, I''m not back to square one but it''s a setback. It''s more like two steps forward, one step back."

Oram is hurting more than just physically. He says the IPL, which starts on April 18, and the Twenty20 World Cup in England in June, are potentially career high-points that he desperately wants to be involved in.

"Yes I am worried about the IPL and I''m worried about the Twenty20 World Cup.

"The next two to three months are massive for me. I want to be part of both of those. (ANI)