Kiwi Oram out of Australia tour

All-rounder Jacob Oram has withdrawn from New Zealand's forthcoming two-Test tour to Australia due to a back injury.

Oram sustained the back injury while in Bangladesh and is now aiming to return to fitness for the home series against the West Indies in December.

"An MRI scan cleared Jacob of serious injury but he has not yet been able to resume full gym work," said a New Zealand Cricket statement.

"It is planned to have him start bowling again in about 10 days."

The first test between New Zealand and Australia in Brisbane starts on 20 November 20, with the second in Adelaide from 28 November.

Oram added: "We could have pushed hard for the Australian tour, we could have tested it, trialled it, maybe even gone and had a fitness test to see if I could have made it," Oram said.

"But the worrying thing was that it isn't 100% at the moment and if we made it even worse then it meant the West Indies series was probably in jeopardy."

Oram, 30, also added that he may consider giving up bowling in an attempt to lengthen his international career.

"If I want longevity in the game, I don't think I can go along doing what I'm doing now and hope to play for another four or five or six years," said Oram.