One test for Jamieson on comeback
Kyle Jamieson will play just one of the two tests against England this month as his injury comeback is carefully managed.
Black Caps coach Gary Stead said the towering pace bowler was highly likely to play the series opener with the pink ball at Tauranga’s Bay Oval, starting on February 16, but sit out the second in Wellington.
Jamieson was included in a 14-strong New Zealand squad for the series and is likely to be part of a fourstrong pace attack at Bay Oval alongside captain Tim Southee, Matt Henry and Neil Wagner. He hasn’t played for his country since suffering a back injury in England in June.
Pace spearhead Trent Boult would not be considered for the second test in Jamieson’s potential absence, Stead said, despite Boult returning from the UAE T20 league in time. Boult handed in his Black Caps contract to free himself up for T20 opportunities.
‘‘That’s just about [Jamieson’s] continued rehabilitation and making sure we don’t put him in a compromising position going forward when we’ve still got important matches coming up throughout the rest of the year,’’ Stead said.
New Zealand play four home tests within the space of 33 days with Sri Lanka arriving for two tests in March in Christchurch and Wellington.
Jamieson, who has returned via club cricket and T20 and 50-over matches for Auckland, will play for the New Zealand XI in a two-day match against England in Hamilton on Wednesday and Thursday.
Should Jamieson play in the first test in Tauranga, there wouldn’t be any specific restrictions on his overs in a day or spell, Stead said. They would be careful with how he was used though with the focus on his
long-term availability and health. ‘‘We just feel now is the right time with four tests in the next month or so that he is ready to take that next step, but again I lace that with a little bit of caution that we want to make sure we do the right thing by Kyle as well.
‘‘He’s obviously an important asset to us. There’s no doubt what he’s done at the start of his career is pretty amazing. We want to make sure we get him back to that form as well.’’
Jamieson has played one pink-ball match in his elite career, featuring for the New Zealand XI in a two-day match at Seddon Park when England toured the country in 2018.
He starred with the bat, blasting 101 off 111 balls, which drew some words from frustrated English bowler James Anderson, with one of the umpires having to step in.
Jamieson has been back bowling since the start of November and operating off his full run since about early January.
‘‘While the eyes haven’t seen how many overs I’ve bowled, I’ve got a decent workload under my belt. It’s just another step on the journey and how we manage these next couple of weeks will be an ongoing discussion,’’ Jamieson said yesterday.
After such a lengthy injury layoff, he admitted to feeling some emotion when Stead informed him he was returning to the test side for the first time in six months. Donning the black baggy again and representing his country would be a proud moment.
Seamer Henry is also set to return at Bay Oval after suffering an abdominal injury which occurred during the latter stages of the second test against Pakistan early last month.
Henry won’t participate in the warmup match against England with wife Holly due to give birth to their first child. Stead was confident Henry would hit the ground running in Tauranga if selected, despite limited recent cricket.