Kyle Jamieson’s career is only eight Test matches old, but his truly outrageous skills, more than his numbers, hint at a ‘G.O.A.T’ in the making, writes Rohit Sankar.
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Kyle Jamieson is pretty quick with most things he does. He went from a top-order batsman in 2013 to taking the new ball in the 2014 under-19 World Cup. He developed an inswinger in no time to complement his stock outswinger and he waltzed into the top 20 of ICC’s Test bowling rankings like he always belonged there. He was even quick to turn down a cheeky request for red-ball practice from Indian skipper Virat Kohli at the IPL nets.
What Jamieson would like to be quicker at is his delivery speed. Bowling in the mid-130s, Jamieson isn’t the quickest going around, but that right there is the only metric that makes him slightly less robotic, and more human.
Jamieson is a complete fast bowler in most other respects. He is 2.03m tall, bangs the good and full length regularly from a high release point, swings the ball both ways and is relentlessly accurate. It’s what fast bowlers dream of doing 40-50 Tests into their career when they touch their peak. At 26, and with his Test tally still in single digits, Jamieson has managed to create quite an impact.
It’s no surprise that his average is the best Test cricket has ever seen since the 20th century (min. 10 innings). It’s no surprise that he picks up wickets in bucketloads in a team that has three other fast-bowling superstars. It is no surprise that Jamieson was the Player of the Match in the WTC final.
The Indian batting line-up was set up perfectly for Jamieson to steam in and steamroll. They aren’t the best against the moving ball and have rarely played bowlers delivering from as much of a height. Even considering all the advantages he has, Jamieson’s figures in the WTC final are absurd: 46-22-61-7. It’s the fifth most economical spell by a fast bowler in a Test this century (min 40 overs) and it came when the opposition team was mostly looking to show intent and edge ahead in arguably the most important Test match, given the context, ever played.
Kyle Jamieson named Player of the Match in the @icc World Test Championship Final! #WTC21 pic.twitter.com/l89bdDvyMc
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) June 23, 2021
To put things into perspective, it’s good to compare Jamieson to two other quicks who fit into the same bracket – Morne Morkel and Jason Holder.
Morkel was a nightmare for most batsmen, with several naming him as the toughest bowler they faced despite him playing alongside Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander for the most parts. Morkel had scorching pace, zip and bounce, but was never really full, which hurt his wicket-taking ability, and was erratic, which helped batsmen score off him. Holder is more Jamieson than Morkel. He is just 0.02m shorter than Jamieson and bowls at a slower pace, is fuller in length and is pretty accurate.
At their best, both Morkel and Holder have delivered telling spells, but to be consistently doing what they do, without going to the natural tall-bowler-length, and to do so as a first-change bowler is far from easy. Jamieson has dived into this nose first and nailed the length, line and speed to achieve optimal results as a fast bowler: taking wickets while leaking very few runs.
To delve further, to swing the ball best, it’s ideal to bowl a tad slower, yet not slow enough for batters to adjust fairly easily. Combined this with bowling to most batters from above their eyeline and gaining considerable swing and the equation becomes quite tough.
Take Rohit Sharma’s first innings dismissal in the final for instance. After getting through 20 overs with the new ball, Rohit edged a fairly conventional outswinger to third slip. It wasn’t an unplayable jaffa by any means. But the technicalities behind the dismissal are hard to miss. Rohit, assured in his footwork until then, was half-forward, half hung back, and the tempting length and line invited a half prod.
Uncertainty is often the cause of downfall for a batsman in Test cricket and against Jamieson, it’s quite hard to be certain. It’s probably why Virat Kohli’s edge to the keeper on day six looked as ugly as it did. It’s also probably why a defiant Pujara looks fidgety every time he faces the tall quick.
Jamieson is a one in a kind fast bowler. He is quicker than the average medium pacer, taller than the tallest pacers, bowls fuller and swings more than tall fast bowlers usually do and he moves the ball both ways. That’s an incredible, rare, perfect concoction of skills bottled into one 2.03m frame.
The start to his career is revolutionary, but it’s how he carries on that would define his legacy. On paper, there’s no stopping Jamieson from becoming an all-time great. His skillsets are remarkably well-rounded. He’s what South Africa wanted Morkel to be and what West Indies wish Holder does every time he takes the ball. Unleashing his magic in the biggest stage of them all at the WTC finals, Jamieson has created the perfect launching pad to send his career to the orbits.
