Uva Next is one of the favourites at SLPL - Oram

Dilanka MANNAKKARA

He is huge,standing at 6'6 he is a man mountain and if he didn't play cricket he could have been a massive rugby forward. The giant New Zealand all rounder Jacob Oram who is with the Uva Next team as a replacement player for James Franklin did very well in his first game for the Uva side claiming 3 for 16 of 4 overs. Here he answers few questions about the SLPL, the Uva Next franchise and about the T 20 format itself.

Here are some excerpts from the interview.

Q: What are your franchise Uva Next chances of winning the SLPL 2012?

A: I think its quite good.We have a wonderful team,great balance both in batting and bowling.The local guys Kandamby,Dilhara Fernando have plenty of experience plus the international stars consisting of Umar Gul,Chanderpaul and Shoiab Malik provide more than enough depth for our team. Youngster Sachithra Senanayake has impressed me a lot with his wily off spinners.I feel that we are one of the favorites to win the title.

Q: You opened the bowling for the Uva Next team but usually you are a first change bowler.Are you going to open he bowling often in the future?

A: Well for the New Zealand team I do bowl first change or second change.This time around the skipper gave me the ball to open the bowling and I accepted the challenge and bowled my 4 overs upfront.In T 20, opening the bowling can go two ways,either you can get smashed all over and be taken out of the attack or bowl tight lines and lengths and end up with good figures.(laughing),I fortunately had the latter experience.

Q: How would you rate Kandamby's captaincy?

A: Well he is an experienced guy,has played for Sri Lanka for quite sometime.From the little I have seen of him,he is a positive captain who takes certain calculated risks.

Q: Do you think that playing in the SLPL just before the T 20 World Cup which is to be held in Sri Lanka will be a massive advantage for players?

A: Well definitely yes.The selectors back there in New Zealand will be keeping a close eye on our performances at the SLPL since similar tracks would be provided for the T 20 World cup as well. I think it's a huge advantage to play in the SLPL before the World cup T 20.

If you weren't here you would be facing the New Zealand winter and bowling indoors.So this is a great opportunity to get used to the conditions and be match fit.

Q: T 20 has always been a batsmen's game.Bigger,heavier bats,small boundaries,flat tracks have favored the batsmen more and more.How should a young bowler adapt to this?

A: (Laughing). Its simple,don't bowl.On a serious note do your basics right,just bowl in the right areas.You will always get hit for fours and sixes but you could always come back. The batsmen take more risk,so you even get cheap wickets for poor balls.

Q: How would you compare the IPL auction and the SLPL draft system?

A: Well in the IPL the teams which have the bigger wallet get the best players and those teams remain at the top for years.But with a draft system like in the SLPL the teams will be usually more balanced,hence greater competition.

Q: How has it been working with your coach Robin Singh,Mentor Aravinda De Silva and Manager Ranjith Fernando?

A: Robin is a helpful coach,a cool guy who has been insightful.Aravinda obviously was a class player brings in a lot of experience and there is tremendous respect for him.So far it has been great.

Q: What do you think of the talent of the young players in the SLPL?

A: I have got to say that Sri Lanka has a huge talent pool,its just unbelievable. The SLPL would be a wonderful opportunity to identify the hidden gems of Sri Lanka cricket so that they would be ready for the next step.India identified a lot of players like Varun Aaron,Umesh Yadav,Virat Kohli through the IPL and the SLPL would definitely be the stepping stone for the local boys here.

Q: What do you think of New Zealand's chances in the T 20 World cup?

A: I think our chances are pretty good. We have done very well in the ICC World cup events as well ending up being Semi Finalists despite being under dogs. We have a talented bunch of youngsters so we intend to come out with trumps.