Oram armed with outsized bat to batter England

GROS ISLET, St Lucia, Mar 13 (Reuters) Jacob Oram's not-so-secret weapon at the World Cup is an extra large bat.

The New Zealand all-rounder, who has recovered from a broken finger to figure in the West Indies, hopes the specially made bat will help him smash the ball for six at some of the Caribbean's smaller grounds.

''It must be one of the biggest bats around,'' Oram, who does not know its precise measurements, told reporters today.

''It's specially made, thankfully. Being six foot six you need something custom-made. It's a normal handle but an extra long blade.'' Oram is bored with being compared to former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns but hopes that one day he can be put in the same bracket as Cairns and England's Andrew Flintoff, whom he will face in their Group C opener on Friday.

''I just go out there and try to be myself. I'm my own guy and do play differently. But I'd love to be talked about in the same phrase as those guys,'' he said.

In the run-up to the tournament, Oram said he would amputate his injured finger if it meant he could definitely play but he now wishes he had not said it.

''It was completely a joke,'' he said. ''Unfortunately, people took it seriously and in the end I probably regret saying it.

The finger is good, thankfully. It is pretty much 100 percent.'' Reuters DH VP0047