Hat-trick too much to hope for
Just six weeks ago at a neardeserted Eden Park Outer Oval, Kyle Jamieson charged across the outfield in celebration after achieving a bowler’s prized feat, a hat-trick.
Yesterday at the Basin Reserve, a packed hill on their feet chanting his name, Jamieson, remarkably, had a shot at another. In a test match against West Indies, no less, just the fourth of this skyrocketing international career at age 25.
Having shattered Roston Chase’s stumps for two in two, Jamieson’s hat-trick delivery was almost too good as the 5528-strong crowd and his team-mates roared. A full inswinger rapped Jermaine Blackwood on the pads and it looked a good lbw shout.
But not to Chris Brown, like Jamieson a former Auckland seamer and now test umpire on debut. Brown’s decision was correct, and even as stand-in Black Caps skipper Tom Latham tried his luck with a decision review
system challenge, replays showed the ball missing leg stump.
‘‘Yeah I did [know it was missing]. I think it was more playing up for the crowd,’’ Jamieson said with a grin. ‘‘It was such a great atmosphere and we thought ‘ why not we’ll give it a shot’. It just went a little bit too much, unfortunately.’’
He had a brief flashback to that day at Eden Park on October 29 when another ‘‘ big inny’’ cartwheeled Brad Schmulian’s off stump without offering a shot, for a Plunket Shield hat-trick.
‘‘I thought I’d be pretty lucky to try and get that twice in a season. Worth the try anyway.’’
Just two New Zealand test players achieved the feat, both away from home: Peter Petherick against Pakistan in 1976 and
James Franklin against Bangladesh in 2004.
Near-miss aside, it was yet another near dream day for Jamieson, who ended with figures of 5-34 as the West Indies staggered to 124-8. They still need another 137 to avoid the follow-on and with three days to play, another hometown victory shrunk to microscopic odds.
It was Jamieson’s second fivewicket bag in his fourth test, and left his current bowling average at 13.77 to go with a batting average of 54.66. Some numbers, those. His innings of 20 yesterday was his lowest test score.
The near hat- trick was in Jamieson’s eye-rubbing first over of the day, the 15th of the West Indies innings.
Jamieson enticed an edge from John Campbell, third ball, then was too quick and too accurate for Chase. After Blackwood survived his first delivery he was nearly lbw a second time to a bullet full toss, but Brown declined again and another DRS
challenge couldn’t overturn it.
Said Jamieson: ‘‘The ball came out quite nicely the first couple, I managed to get the wicket on the third ball then Daryl Mitchell said ‘try a big inny first ball’, and that worked so that’s probably his wicket more than mine. The way the ball was moving, if we kept the ball in good enough areas things do tend to happen.’’
What a 10 months it’s been for Jamieson, formerly an opening batsman at school, who made his test debut at the Basin against India in February. He toiled hard during cricket’s hiatus, developing variety in his bowling and focusing on charging in and increasing his pace. That was all on show again yesterday, including a surprise outswinger, as the grassy pitch assisted with pace and seam.
Jamieson still pinched himself being part of a stellar fourpronged pace attack.
‘‘ I just consider myself very fortunate to play in the same team as those guys, to play in the same era of three of New Zealand’s greatest ever quicks.’’
And even, sometimes, watch them bat. Wagner’s assault on the West Indies bowlers caught everyone unawares as he blasted four sixes in his highest test score, 66 not out off 42 balls.
It broke the West Indies’ spirit as the world’s second-ranked test bowler Wagner and Henry Nicholls (174) added 95 for the ninth wicket and they posted 460.
Jamieson said of Wagner’s knock: ‘‘He was pretty chuffed, pretty nervous when he came off 48 not out — the way he batted and brought that intent was pretty special.’’