All round it's bad news on big Jake | Hawkes Bay Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Hawkes Bay

"A specialist would be ideal," has been Central Districts Stags coach Alan Hunt's edict for the past few weeks but not the sort that he got on the news front yesterday.

Hunt was thinking more along the lines of a sheikh-of-tweak type specialist spinner to the Twenty20 Champions League but when he got into his Napier office in the morning he discovered to his horror allrounder Jacob Oram was catching a flight back from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to Auckland.

Suddenly any misgivings he had about going to South Africa next week without a specialist spinner seemed to diminish in significance as veteran Big Jake has a date with a medical specialist.

"We don't know exactly what his problem is but it has upset the balance of my team because he bats and bowls," he told SportToday last night after Oram was scheduled to arrive in Auckland today to seek treatment on a persistent knee injury.

Hunt's dilemma is he hasn't got any allrounders in his bag of tricks.

His squad has either batsman, who can bowl, or bowlers who are, for all sense and purpose, rabbits.

"I can't fill the position from my 20-man squad so we'll just have to run with whatever happens."

It's not that Hunt is already throwing in the towel over Oram but, as the Aucklander has experienced over his playing and coaching days, a dose of realism is always sobering when a deadline draws agonisingly close.

In fact, he wasn't optimistic that the 32-year-old veteran was going to be packing his bags for the Stags' do.

Stalwarts and critics have for the past few seasons questioned Oram's selection after niggly injuries plagued his international career dating back to 2002. He announced his retirement from test duties in October last year in a bid to extend his career in the shorter T20 and one-day versions of the game.

"Look, if it was a quick-fix thing then they [New Zealand coach Mark Greatbatch and his support crew] would have found out the problem and Jake wouldn't be coming back home."

Hunt's ominous assumption is indubitably foolproof despite the miracles of modern medicine.

While there are suggestions he should be rested for the bigger picture - the one-day World Cup starting in February next year in the subcontinent - it begs the question whether it's worth taking a risk with Oram.

According to a NZ Cricket statement, Oram had received intensive treatment for the past 10 days.

Greatbatch, of Havelock North, said from Dambulla last night: "Jake had done everything possible to try to get ready for the remaining matches in the tri-series but Jake and the medical team had insufficient time to get [him] fully fit.

"At this stage it is unclear how severe the injury is and he will return to New Zealand for further assessment and rehabilitation," Greatbatch said before New Zealand played India last night.

Of more immediate concern to Hunt is who'll do CD's job at the lucrative T20 league?

There's Ben Wheeler of Blenheim, who is a left-arm medium pacer who can swing a willow.

Napier Technical Old Boys fast bowler Jeremy Kuru comes into the equation but Hunt will be mindful speed can kill, especially if deliveries are devoid of line and length, despite the exciting newcomer's ability to hit lusty sixes as a tailender.

Rookie BJ Barnett beckons with spin option and middle-order batting and Bevin Small, of Manawatu, could feature but a side strain may have scuppered his chances.

CD have snared Auckland spinner Tarun Nethula but he cannot play for last season's HRV Cup T20 champions.