Cricket: Kyle Jamieson’s icing makes perfect day for Black Caps against Pakistan

by Dylan Cleaver in Hagley Oval

New Zealand had scored over 650 runs, three batsmen had scored centuries, one a double and the first at the test level. It had been a near perfect day.

Kyle Jamieson made sure that it was.

The burning pacemaker struck late in the day, consigning the hapless Shan Masood to a pair and ensuring his team enters day four needing nine wickets to secure a summer sweep of all four trials.

Jamieson’s unerring control over length appealed in to Masood, who has endured a miserable tour, scoring three ducks at the trot and bombing several opportunities, half forward and caught Tim Southee on the third slip.

Pakistan finished the day 8-1 with eight threatening omissions, with Abid Ali at seven and night watchman Mohammad Abbas at one.

That unrestricted spell was made possible by the hitters, who combined to compile New Zealand’s fifth-highest total in testing.

Looking at the bright lights of the scoreboard as New Zealand declared their innings at 659-6, it was impossible to reconcile that image with the idea that they were the heel of Shaheen Shah Afridi’s boot from being 74-4.

The overall profile of the day remained the dominance of the Black Caps, the coloration courtesy of the continued brilliance of their patron.

However, he was not left alone with crayons. Henry Nicholls started the day with 89 and added another 68 runs. It may not amount to throwing 50 overs with two broken fingers, but scoring a century on one leg should not be overlooked.

Daryl Mitchell, in his adopted field, looked back at the shape born in the crease by scoring 102 of 112 balls.

“He hasn’t assimilated yet,” Mitchell said, beaming. “It’s pretty surreal at the moment. Obviously, I’m quite grateful that Kane gave me a couple of extra overs to do some at the end … I rocked pretty hard in the points to try and make that happen.”

Questions remain as to whether he has the required ball penetration to be considered a true test-class all-rounder, but he’s arguing that he should be considered an option only in his hitting.

His innings were marked with a series of high-quality shots, particularly the pull, but more importantly for the team, it was the right innings at the right time, after the cheap dismissal of BJ Watling (7) threatened to stop progress. He didn’t think for a minute that there was a chance to score a ton.

“BJ and I had been sitting in that locker room downstairs for what felt like two days,” he said. “I was happy to go out and try to be busy to help put in a total for us to try and take 10 wickets.”

For a long time he was the “dominant” figure in his centuries-old association with Williamson, although that might be a slightly gratuitous use of the word.

“Kane’s hit today, it’s pretty amazing and it set us up for a chance to win this test match. My role was just to get us to a total.

“He’s a phenomenon, he’s amazing. He makes the game look so easy right now. To me, I played Kane when we were 14 years old, so playing test cricket with him is great. He’s a very special player and will easily move on to be the best in New Zealand, I think. “

Adding to the sense of occasion was the stage, with Mitchell having made the switch from the Northern Districts to Canterbury this season. He did so in large part because his Cantabrian wife Amy was supposed to be with the couple’s second daughter and she has family here to lean on while he’s playing.

They were there in the morning, but he suspects they might have come home for a nap long before he achieved a goal in life.

There is more work to be done on the fourth day, and possibly on Thursday as well. Mitchell believes there is still enough on the ground to “put pressure on Pakistan.”

Jamieson has already shown it.

Mitchell has had a great test; if you see nine more plots of Pakistan fall, it will be perfect.