Henry produced an exceptional spell to finish with four for 19 off his 10 overs as the Black Caps thumped Sri Lanka by nine wickets in the opening one-day international at the Basin Reserve on Sunday.
It continued the 33-year-old seamer’s fine run of form that included a five-wicket bag in a test in India, 15 wickets in the test series against England, and a couple of handy two-wicket T20 spells in Mount Maunganui.
"He’s just bowling the ball where it needs to go more often than not, and that sounds easy, but it’s not," Oram said yesterday.
"To be able to hit consistently around the right length and to be able to ask the questions based on line as well, and we know he gets a little bit of sideways movement, good bounce ... it’s just a continuation of what he did in the test series.
"He’s just in good rhythm at the moment, but he’s also very experienced now, and I think that provides a bit of calmness and confidence within what he’s doing, but I’m seeing that start to filter through the other bowlers as well.
"So he’s in a great space for himself as a bowler, but also for the group and passing on his information, his knowledge to others."
Henry spent much of the first decade of his international career seen as the fourth wheel of the pace attack.
But with Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner now moving on, the Cantabrian is the main man, and now has 120 test wickets at 29.84, 145 ODI scalps at 25.8, and 27 T20 wickets at 23.66.
"He’s really stepping up into that leader position," Oram said.
"Nothing’s really changed in terms of how he’s going about his work, but I think it’s just organically happened that he is now the guy at the top and other bowlers like Will O’Rourke and Nathan Smith are looking at him for that direction.
"He’s been able to provide that through his actions and his performances, which I think is really powerful."
Smith, in just his third ODI, took two for 43 in the Wellington opener, while Otago veteran Jacob Duffy continued his purple patch with two for 39.
O’Rourke went wicketless, but that did not mean he did not have an effective game, Oram said.
"It’s just the trouble he causes and the issues he can create for the batters with his pace and bounce, and I 100% think that’s what led to wickets at the other end.
"They were a little bit worried about Will O’Rourke with that pace and bounce, and having to try and score at the other end created opportunities for those bowlers."
Bowling in partnerships was as important as batting, Oram said.
"If you don’t work together, and someone’s going at four an over at one end but someone’s going for 14 at the other end, it basically deletes the guy doing well at that one end.
"Both bowlers have got to do their thing, and whether that’s seam and seam, or spin and spin, or seam and spin, working together, it’s about doing the job, passing that baton on, working as a pack ... and just making sure we’re hunting together as a team and putting them under pressure from both ends."
The Black Caps bowlers will seek to apply more pressure to the Sri Lankans in the second ODI in Hamilton tomorrow.
