Opinion
“Know the name Kyle Jamieson? I did not either, but he has been named the rookie replacement for injured New Zealand speedster Lockie Ferguson.”
“At 2.03m tall, Jamieson has the physical attributes to exploit any bounce on Australian pitches.
“The right-armer sends the ball down at great height and has taken 72 first-class wickets at 27.93. He has not played for the Black Caps but has impressed in domestic four-day cricket, T20s and for New Zealand A.”
This is from an article I wrote about Kyle Jamieson that was published by The Roar back in December 2019. Jamieson had just been picked as a rookie but did not get to play a Test on that forgettable tour by the Black Caps. I was keen to see him get picked as he could have been the X factor bowler the Caps needed.
Jamieson has however gone on to bigger and better things since then and is a likely starter in the Black Caps versus India match to decide the best team in the world.
He has slotted into the Black Caps with relative ease and in a short time has become a weapon for them. Since his Test debut on the 21st February 2020, he has made full use of his 6 ft 8-inch height and secured 39 wickets from seven matches at an average of 15.15.
Jamieson has also accumulated 235 lower order runs at an impressive average of 47. Rather a good start to a career?
Kyle Jamieson of New Zealand (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
Kyle Jamieson was picked up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for the fourth highest price tag in IPL history of NZ$2.86 million. Soon after he played against Australia in white ball cricket, and I looked forward to him demolishing the Australians.
I believe he was however affected by the IPL offer and found it hard to capture his best form. It appears to happen to players when they are rewarded for good performances quite early in their careers and their form drops off. He apparently called his partner and parents with news of the auction and then turned his phone off and tried to get some sleep. I believe many of us would possibly have stayed up all night celebrating?
Considering that James Anderson is 38, Stuart Broad is 34 and Tim Southee 32, the 26-year-old Jamieson has potentially many years of Test cricket in front of him.
Will Jamieson be picked for the ICC World Championship Final? What an enviable position the Black Cap selectors are in to make this decision. The bowling line-up is up for considerable debate. Will they settle for an all-seam line-up with Colin De Grandhomme, he of the great mullet, in for Ajaz Patel?
Or will they go for no De Grandhomme and use Patel and Jamieson? The option that is the hardest to make is both Patel and De Grandhomme playing, with the horrible task of dropping one of Jamieson, Tim Southee, Trent Bolt or Neil Wagner? Matt Henry is also in the picture, competing with probably Jamieson for a spot.
Will they look at pitch conditions or just pick their strongest line-up? Will Jamieson make the cut? Me personally? Go for your best players, but have a spin option, so my bowling line-up would be Patel, Jamieson, Southee, Bolt and Wagner.
If the Black Caps win, what a start to his career Kyle Alex Jamieson has had. The right arm fast medium bowler from Auckland has made Test cricket look relatively easy.
Jamieson, who resembles the Australian bowler Bruce Reid, took the prize wickets of Pujara and Kohli in his first spell in Test cricket against India.
Is that an omen for his selection this week? His best bowling figures in an innings are 6/48 and he has taken four five wicket bags and one ten wicket haul with his awkward bounce from a great height.
As well as being proficient in all formats of the game he is also an accomplished batsman.
So, will Kyle Jamieson continue his golden run in Test cricket and beat off the challenge of Matt Henry and be selected for Friday’s match? If the Black Caps win they will be richly rewarded with USD 1.6 million.
Kyle Jamieson has had a rookie year that many cricketers can only look at with admiration and possibly a little envy?
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