Jamieson credits shift to Auckland for making him better cricketer

PTI, Feb 18, 2020, 3:20 PM IST

Wellington: Towering New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson has revealed that moving from Canterbury to Auckland helped him get rid of a detrimental aggressive streak and become a cricketer worthy of national duty.

The 6’8″ tall pacer, who made his ODI debut against India in the recent series, was handed a place in the Test squad for the upcoming two-match rubber beginning at Basin Reserves here on February 21.

“I’m a pretty fiery character on the field. On the field, I’m pretty aggressive. I think it came out in ways I necessarily didn’t like. I would sort of do it and then post-game be like, ‘What did I do that for?” he was quoted as saying by ‘stuff.co.nz’.

Jamieson shifted to Auckland, where he was born, prior to this season after making his T20 debut for Canterbury in 2016 in the Super Smash.

He said there was a lot of negativity around him in Canterbury, where he grew up, and it affected his behavior.

“There was a bit of negativity surrounding myself and that environment and that was coming out in my behavior on the field,” he said.

The 25-year-old, who was called as an injury cover for the Australia series late last year, said returning to Auckland made a massive difference to his game.

“I’m really enjoying my cricket, which is probably something I couldn’t say a couple of years ago,” said Jamieson, who scored 25 and took 2 for 42 on debut during the second ODI against India at Eden Park.

“I was going through a bit of stuff off the field. Just the chance to come in with this group and turn up and learn every day – try and better myself as a cricketer – was something that was too hard to turn down, so look, it’s been massive for my game.

“It was just a shift that I needed to make. Most importantly, I needed to be happy and I needed to enjoy my cricket. Wherever that may take me, then it will,” he added.