Jacob Oram's magnificent spell was built on old-fashioned virtues of line and length, and an excellent analysis of the opposition's weakness. The Indians are strong on the front foot and off their legs; Oram blocked off those scoring areas and, with the pitch providing some seam movement, reaped the rewards. Thirty-three of his 60 deliveries pitched on a good length, and when he did err marginally, it was on the shorter side - 22 balls pitched just short of good length. Thus, 55 out of 60 balls were spot on, length-wise.

His line was impeccable too. Fifty-three balls pitched on or outside off, and the six deliveries which pitched on or outside leg stump were all bowled from over the wicket to Sourav Ganguly, which meant the deliveries were around off when they reached the batsman.

Factor in the excellent temperament he demonstrated in scoring an unbeaten 27, and New Zealand might just have discovered a vital cog for their World Cup campaign.

S Rajesh is sub editor of Wisden.com in India.

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