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Jacob Oram, the New Zealand allrounder, has been ruled out of the second Twenty20 international against England in Christchurch on Thursday after pulling a hamstring in the first game yesterday in Auckland. He will be replaced by Daniel Flynn, the 22-year-old Northern Districts left-hander.

Flynn, who captained New Zealand in 2004’s Under-19 World Cup, cracked 149 against Canterbury on Wednesday in Northern Districts’ 313 for 7.

“This is a great opportunity to introduce another exciting young player into the New Zealand squad,” Sir Richard Hadlee, the New Zealand selection manager, said. “His innings today was at better than run-a-ball and as a left-hander he will fit beautifully into our middle order at No. 6 or 7.”

Fortunately for New Zealand, Oram’s injury isn’t very serious and he is expected to be fit for the first of five one-dayers starting on Saturday in Wellington.

“I have a wee bit of a sore hamstring. It’s not completely torn and it’s not overly bad,” Oram told AFP. “It’s similar to what I did in South Africa [in November] where I missed a Test match [in Centurion] but it’s nowhere near as bad as that, thankfully.”

Nevertheless, Oram’s absence will be a big blow to New Zealand after their 32-run loss at Eden Park. He was the most economical among the bowlers, conceding 24 off his four overs, and picking up the wicket of Ian Bell. His 40-ball 61, which included seven fours and two sixes, was a last ditch effort after the top order collapsed in pursuit of the target of 185. Only three batsmen in total managed to cross double figures, with extras contributing 23.

Source:Cricket News

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