Lanky William O'Roars to life on spicy deck

A TALL seamer from New Zealand? Check. Overcast conditions? Check. Disconcerting bounce? Check. Canterbury? Check. High release point? Check. There are endless similarities between Kyle Jamieson and William O'Rourke and some of those similarities played itself out in a fairly predictable manner on the second day of the first Test between India and New Zealand.

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN

Bowlers with high release points can have a natural advantage because of the bounce they extract from decks. That sort of natural advantage has led to some tame Indian batting performances, especially in the recent past. Because of some disconcerting bounce, even from just short of a good length area or from a good length area, batters are forced to recalibrate their way of thinking. Jamieson had shown the benefits of what a tall bowler can do, especially in helpful conditions, at Southampton during the final of the World Test Championship in 2021. In that Test, J