What would you give up to play for your country in the World Cup?

By Scott last year, at the end of February Leave a comment on this post

Jacob Oram would give up his finger to play.

Jacob Oram is willing to cut off his injured ring finger if it is going to prevent him from playing in the World Cup. Oram will try specially designed splints and pain-killers to ease the pain, but if the problem won’t go away he will consider an amputation.

“If it means cutting the finger off, if that’s the worse-case scenario, if that’s the last resort, I’ll do that, there’s no way I’m missing this,” he told NZPA. Oram suffered the break during the first Chappell-Hadlee Trophy match and he will not test it until the New Zealand squad’s first practice session in Barbados on Saturday.

Good on him, I think. And if he plays, he gives New Zealand the extra depth they need to make a serious tilt at the Cup.

Tags: 2007-world-cup, dedication, jacob-oram, new-zealand |

Comments to “What would you give up to play for your country in the World Cup?” Alan R wrote:
February 28th, 2007 at 10.33 pm

Besides the misplaced priorities, I’d say he’s more likely to drop catches if he’s missing a finger.

Kathy wrote:
February 28th, 2007 at 10.42 pm

Good on him? I’m tempted to think that’s insanity talking. One cricket tournament that everyone will have forgotten two weeks later, vs an irreplaceable part of his body?

That’s why only half of me is irritated at Steve Harmison for his lacking the obsessive sportsman’s drive in preference for hearth and family. Harmison may not end up having the career he might have (and personally I think he could have been handled better over the past year â€” another reason why England missed Michael Vaughan in ‘06: his very superior man-management skills behind the scenes), but I think he will end up being a happier and more rounded human being than a lot of retired sportsmen.

Evance Hector wrote:
February 28th, 2007 at 10.47 pm

Whereas I can understand Jacob Oram’s desire to play for his country at whatever cost,I think that he will be doing himself a disservice by amputating his finger to play in the World Cup.What he is contemplating will be permanent,the World Cup is for only two months.

I do hope that he will reconsider,and allow his finger to heal permanently,He will then have greater pleasure and be more comfortable with all his fingures.I do wish him Well

Wraye wrote:
February 28th, 2007 at 11.18 pm

Way back in the 80s, I remember reading a sci-fi story in the magazine OMNI about a futuristic Olympic game whereby most of the major nations were eventually disqualified for illegal genetic engineering of their athletes, so that in the end, some minnow country won on the fact that their competitors were the only humans there. Damn good story. As usual, there are always lessons to be learned in sci-fi about how far you are prepared to go.

I admire Oram’s passion to compete but if he is not fit, he should not risk his finger or future. They could not cyborg Bond, what hope then for Oram? If we had the technology, we would have cyborged Vaughen years ago!

Kathy wrote:
February 28th, 2007 at 11.33 pm

Wraye, sometimes I think our Vaughanie has a touch of the cyborg about him… clearly a faulty one, though!

Chris wrote:
March 1st, 2007 at 12.22 am

If a broken bone is going to be painful, how’s a freshly cut stump going to feel. Imagine copping a ball on that.

Steve wrote:
March 1st, 2007 at 9.16 am

I think this is just Kiwi oneupmanship after Symonds and Lee said they’d take pain-killers and play with their injuries even if they weren’t properly healed! Kiwis, of course, are real men, not like wimpy Brett Lee who talks about trying to get up on his “tippytoes” for the doctors as part of his fitmess test.

Stuart wrote:
March 1st, 2007 at 10.40 am

I think it’s foolhardy to insist that you would have you finger amputated in order to play cricket. I know at my club we would certainly hold a player to his word!! I wonder if the NZ team will do the same.

It’s interesting to know though what people would do to make a club game on a Saturday. This is a question i asked on our club blog today!!

Great Blog by the way!!!

Wraye wrote:
March 1st, 2007 at 2.45 pm

Oh yeah, to answer the original question. I did give up something special last season to get a game: my dignity. My captain “loaned” me to the opposition as last man, but I had no kit with me. So I borrowed the captain’s wife’s shoes, some over sized pads and tucked my red summer frock into my drawers and looked a complete berk, but scored one, not out. Well, it was the last game of the season, I couldn’t say no, could I?

Rob wrote:
March 1st, 2007 at 2.53 pm

i wish some of the windies players were that committed (as opposed to “i won’t play, I’m not being paid enough”) but cutting off a finger! That’s really quite grim, and I think he underestimates the impact that will have on him psychologically, let alone his cricket.

Shahid Afridi Fan wrote:
March 1st, 2007 at 6.50 pm

a good way to put in to words how much he wants to play the world cup..
waqar younis was a pretty good fielder and he was missing a finger..

Scott wrote:
March 1st, 2007 at 7.00 pm

Damn, Wraye, the things that happen when a camera’s not around, hey?

KL wrote:
March 1st, 2007 at 8.29 pm

Oh come on - this is surely a joke.

Oram is fantastic - I absolutely love cricket - but giving up a finger to play in a World Cup.

Thats just plain stupid.

Michael wrote:
March 1st, 2007 at 9.06 pm

I haven’t forgotten Symonds career-altering 143* versus Pakistan. Or Ponting’s epic 140* in the Final. Or Mark Boucher blocking the final ball of the over against Sri Lanka. Or John Davison’s record breaking blitzkrieg versus the West Indies. Shall I continue…?

The World Cup, while long, IS memorable. People don’t forget it.

And I do remember a certain someone not traveling to Zimbabwe which ultimately cost them a spot in the 6.

Oram won’t amputate. As I ponder my grip on the bat I can see how important each finger is. And as Alan R said, fielding is of utmost importance in the ODI game and this would have to negatively hinder his performance.

Wraye wrote:
March 2nd, 2007 at 12.26 am

Hey Scott, I am so grateful that there were no cameras at that game nevermind worlwide TV - shock horror

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What would you give up to play for your country in the World Cup?