More injuries for Oram

Jacob Oram has been beset by injury problems recently

All-rounder Jacob Oram is under another injury cloud after suffering an Achilles tendon problem during New Zealand's loss to West Indies in the second one-day international in Christchurch.

It is the latest in a series of problems to beset the 30-year-old, who was sent home early from the tour of Bangladesh with a back problem which kept him out of the Test series against Australia.

While on the comeback trail from that he fractured his finger and was then forced to withdraw from the Test series against West Indies with a calf strain.

New Zealand coach Andy Moles said the Achilles problem appeared to be related to the earlier calf injury and became apparent after he bowled his first spell in the rain-affected match at AMI Stadium.

"The calf is fine. It's now just a case of finding out the extent of the referred pain he has in his Achilles tendon," Moles said.

"It's a lot better this morning than it was last night but we just need to make sure it's nothing serious.

"We'll know that information once the medical people look at him."

Oram was one of eight New Zealand players due to turn out for their provincial sides on Monday in the domestic one-day competition.

He has now been withdrawn from playing for Central Districts but Black Caps team-mates Jamie How and Ross Taylor will play for the Stags against Northern Districts who will be bolstered by the inclusion of Daniel Flynn.

Mark Gillespie and Grant Elliott will play for Wellington against Canterbury in Christchurch, while Neil Broom and Brendon McCullum will turn out for Otago against Auckland at Eden Park's outer oval.

Moles explained the decision to get players some time in the middle with their provinces had been made when Saturday's match looked as though it was heading for a wash-out after the opening game in Queenstown was also abandoned.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul should be back in action for the third one-dayer © Getty Images

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"There are a lot of players, especially the batters, who haven't had time in the middle.

"We've practised really well but there's no substitute for working in the middle.

"We spoke to the selectors and the players and the really pleasing thing was that the players were keen to go and play," Moles said shortly after the squad arrived in Wellington.

While Moles has suffered the setback of Oram's latest injury, his opposite number John Dyson is confident of having one of his star players back in the West Indies line-up.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul has missed the opening two matches of the five-game series so far because of discomfort between the thumb and index finger in his left hand, the result of spending so much time at the batting crease.

But Dyson said the signs were good for the International Cricket Council's player of the year.

"It's getting better. Hopefully by tomorrow morning when we go back into the nets he will be back in the nets and batting as he usually does for hours."

In Chanderpaul's absence, Ramnaresh Sarwan has made a timely return to form after a quiet Test series.

His partnership of 48 runs with Denesh Ramdin, who smacked 28 off 18 balls, got West Indies across the line in Christchurch.

"I thought they played extremely well last night. Sarwan played a controlled innings and it was important that he was there at the finish," Dyson said.

"Ramdin came in and just gave us that little bit of punch that we needed to finish the game off."

Despite the confidence-boosting win, Dyson still believes the series will be tight.

"I've always said this series was going to be a hard-fought series from the first day we arrived here until the day we leave and that's the way it's panning out.

"Both teams are fairly even and whoever gets the advantage on the day might get home."