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New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram has confirmed that he is to retire from playing Test cricket in a bid to prolong his career, saying that he remains committed to playing limited overs cricket for his country.
Having struggled with a plethora of injuries, the latest of which saw him miss the Champions Trophy, he has taken the decision to reduce his workload.
A statement from Oram, posted on the New Zealand Cricket homepage (www.blackcaps.co.nz), read:
“I have decided to retire from Test cricket. This decision has been a very tough one and has not been made without careful consideration and discussion with those closest to me.
“The last few years have shown that my body cannot handle the strains and stresses that come with being an all-rounder, playing all three formats for up to 10 months a year.
“For the sake of longevity I have had to make a decision that will decrease my workload, so I can concentrate all my efforts on the shorter forms of the game.
“The decision to choose limited-overs cricket over Test cricket has a lot to do with playing opportunities. The BLACKCAPS play a lot more limited overs cricket than Tests, and there’s also the opportunity to continue playing in world events such as the World Cup, World T20 and Champions Trophy, as well as the IPL."
Oram currently has one more year of his contract with the Chennai Super Kings remaining, where he plays alongside Andrew Flintoff, who has also recently retired from Test cricket to prolong his career.
“The opportunity to spend more time at home with my family including my first child, due next month, is also a major reason for deciding to pull back on playing commitments and time away from home," Oram added.
“I have attempted to delay any decision about my future career path for some time now. However in light of my latest injury at the Champions Trophy it has became clear to me that now is the time to sacrifice something to try and stay in the game longer.
“I am hoping this decision extends my career. I do not want to put an exact time frame on that, as I have learnt that sometimes my body and my mind are on different wavelengths.
“The ICC World Cup in 2011 is a major focus for me and I am highly motivated to be fit and firing for that. Ultimately, I would like to go for a couple of seasons after that, but as I said I am loath to put a fixed date on it.
“I have really enjoyed my Test career and I leave that format with many fond memories. I would be lying if I said I had no regrets, however these feelings were not powerful enough to make me reconsider this decision.
“I have made contact with people close to me, however I would like to publicly thank everyone who has helped me in some way, coached, supported, trained and especially treated me over my Test cricket career.”
Oram played 33 Tests, scoring 1780 runs at 36.32 with five centuries and six half-centuries while he took 60 wickets at 33.05.
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