Injury-plagued Oram says World Cup is his ‘carrot’ to nix his retirement fears

AUCKLAND - New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram, who is fighting to overcome a knee injury, has said that he will consider retiring if he fails to make the Black Caps’ 15-man squad for next year’s World Cup

Oram has been sidelined since August after a recurrence of a patella tendon injury during the one-day tri-series with India and Sri Lanka.

The 32-year-old underwent a knee surgery on September 2, and is not expected to be back to full fitness until January 2011.

“I remember talking to Shane Bond prior to his retirement, when he had that abdominal strain, and he told me that, for him, that was the one injury too many. I think I’m at that point and in that mindset right now,” Stuff.co.nz quoted Oram, as saying.

“I’m very highly motivated to go to the world cup and if it wasn’t on I may have already hung the boots up by now.”

“It’s a very big carrot for me and it may also be the swansong of my career. If that’s to be the case, I’d like to give it everything to try and make it,” he added.

Oram has suffered from back, calf, Achilles and knee problems during his career. (ANI)