WTC Final: Kyle Jamieson’s 5 best spells

Kylie Jamieson is one of the key players for New Zealand in the upcoming World Test Championship final against India. Heading into the deciding one-off Test, the 6’8" right-arm fast bowler has been the leading wicket-taker for the Kiwis on home soil in the tournament. He has picked up 36 wickets in just six games at home, including four five-wicket hauls. These figures would be impressive for any bowler, let alone for somebody who made his debut only a year back.

Jamieson's height enables him to purchase a lot of bounce off the deck, which has been key to his success so far. However, he hasn’t played a single overseas game, which raises some concern over his adaptability. Prior to the WTC final, the Black Caps are playing two away Tests against hosts England, which should help the rookie all-rounder acclimatize to the conditions.

In this article, we take a look at Kyle Jamieson's top five bowling spells in the longest format of the game.

Kyle Janieson

5. Wellington 2020: 4/39 vs India

Kyle Jamieson's debut Test spell against India is our first entry on the list.

Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to field first in the first of two matches from the series. After brilliant opening spells by Tim Southee and Trent Boult, it was the debutant who stole the show.

Jamieson took the key wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Hanuma Vihari. He stunned Pujara with his extra bounce and exposed Kohli’s weakness outside the off-stump by taking the ball away from him. He capped off his fine performance by picking up the wicket of Ishant Sharma, helping New Zealand restrict the visitors to 165 runs in the first innings.

4. Christchurch 2021: 5/69 vs Pakistan

Pakistan were sent in to bat by Williamson when the two teams met at Hagley Oval earlier this year for the second Test of the two-match series. After opener Shan Masood was dismissed for a duck, Abid Ali and Azhar Ali managed to stabilize the innings for the visitors.

In search of wickets, the New Zealand captain gave the ball to Jamieson. Even though the 26-year-old was a bit unlucky at the start, he eventually dismissed Abid on the final ball of his fourth over. He subsequently sent Haris Sohail and Fawad Alam back to the pavilion as soon as they took the crease. Jamieson also picked up the key wickets of Mohammad Rizwan (61) and Faheem Ashraf (48) to complete his fifer. Once again, it was the combination of lethal bouncers and fuller deliveries that made him almost impossible to play.

3. Christchurch 2020: 5/45 vs India

Team India were looking for redemption in the second test of the 2020 series. With the visitors batting first, Prithvi Shaw looked to be going strong as he scored a fine half-century. Kyle Jamieson was brought into the attack and he got rid of the dangerous-looking Shaw with the help of a brilliant one-handed flying catch by Tom Latham at second slip.

The 6'8" bowling all-rounder also created a chance to dismiss Hanuma Vihari for just nine runs, but his catch was dropped by wicketkeeper BJ Watling. Nevertheless, he dismissed the resilient Pujara and later rattled the Indian lower-order to claim his first five-for in Test cricket.

Jamieson was declared the man of the match for his performance.

2. Wellington 2020: 5/34 vs West Indies

Jamieson's spell in the first innings of New Zealand's second test against West Indies in 2020 comes in at number two.

Batting first, the Kiwis managed to put up 460 runs on the board on the back of a brilliant knock by Henry Nicholls.

As the Windies took to bat, Jamieson dismissed West Indies opener John Campbell with a beautiful outswinger on the second ball of his very first over. In the same over, he dismissed Roston Chase for a duck with an unplayable yorker. He also claimed the wickets of Shamarh Brooks and captain Jason Holder with some quality fast bowling. Jamieson's spell was laden with short balls and lethal yorkers that were impossible to pick.

Tim Southee also claimed a five-wicket haul in this match as the Black Caps eventually won the game by an innings and 12 runs.

1. Christchurch 2021: 6/48 vs Pakistan

Jamieson's best spell came against Pakistan in the second innings of the same Christchurch Test that featured earlier on this list. Having already picked up five wickets in the first innings, he had his tail up. In the second, Jamieson gave away just 48 runs in the 20 overs that he bowled and picked up six more scalps.

After an excellent first five overs where he gave away just one run, the tall pacer finally struck in the sixth by dismissing Abid just when Pakistan were looking to build a partnership. While none of the other bowlers were able to pick up wickets, Jamieson mocked the opposition with unplayable deliveries, dismissing Haris Sohail and Azhar Ali (who scored 94 in the first innings).

By the end of the game, Jamieson had 11 wickets to his name and was adjudged the man of the match for his stellar performance. He currently stands third in the list of highest wicket-takers for New Zealand in a single Test match, after Sir Richard John Hadlee and Daniel Vettori.