Oram out of ODI series

New Zealand's Jacob Oram could miss the rest of the ODI series with Australia and some of the Indian Premier League

New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram will miss the rest of the one-day international series against Australia due to a knee problem.

Oram, who suffered the injury during the first ODI in Napier, could also miss a large portion of the 2010 Indian Premier League season - he plays for the Chennai Super Kings - after being ruled out for up to a month.

"Jacob Oram suffered a partial tear of the patella tendon," New Zealand team manager Dave Currie said in a statement.

"It is expected that Jacob will recover in three or four weeks, however he will be out for the balance of the Australian series."

Oram has been replaced in the Black Caps squad by Central Districts medium-pacer Michael Mason.

New Zealand also have concerns over captain Daniel Vettori, who missed the series opener against Ricky Ponting’s men with a stiff neck, but they remain hopeful he will be fit for game two in Auckland on Saturday.

"He's feeling a bit more comfortable and he'll hopefully be fine tomorrow," said Currie.

“He's not 100% certain [to play]. The neck was a bit stiff. We're certainly hopeful and he's hopeful, but again we'll get through today and get more treatment and see how he wakes up in the morning."