Jacob Oram: still sidelined by back problem © Getty Images Enlarge

Following their thumping nine-wicket defeat at Christchurch, New Zealand's shellshocked cricketers received further bad news after the match, when it was revealed that their pivotal allrounders, Jacob Oram and Scott Styris, will have to sit out the remainder of the series.

Oram has not played international cricket since the first one-day international against Sri Lanka in December. He suffered a stress reaction to a back injury and was always doubtful for this series, although he had initially hoped to return in time for the Tests against Sri Lanka in early April - a two-match series that had to be rescheduled after the Tsunami disaster.

New Zealand's medical staff, however, have advised Oram not to risk such an early return, and have instead told him to target the trip to Zimbabwe in August.

Scott Styris, meanwhile, is still recuperating from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, and though he is out of the reckoning for the remainder of Australia's tour, he is still in line for a recall against the Sri Lankans.

Styris suffered the injury in freakish circumstances, when he inside-edged a delivery onto his knee during a domestic match in early February. He missed the State Shield play-offs and the North v South Island of Origin match in New Plymouth, and though he returned against Australia in the first one-day match in Wellington, he soon suffered a recurrence of the injury.

Despite losing the first Test so comprehensively, New Zealand retained the same 12-man squad for the second Test starting at Wellington on Friday. Paul Wiseman, the offspinner, will return to the unit after taking 5 for 48 in Canterbury's State Championship match against Otago at the weekend.

New Zealand Stephen Fleming (capt), Lou Vincent, Nathan Astle, Craig Cumming, Craig McMillan, Hamish Marshall, Brendon McCullum (wk), Iain O'Brien, Daniel Vettori, James Franklin, Chris Martin, Paul Wiseman.