ICC WTC Final: New Zealand's Kyle Jamieson to join county side Surrey

ICC WTC Final: New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson has signed a short-term contract until mid-July with Surrey County Cricket Club in the County Championship. The Kiwi youngster will join the county side after the completion of the ICC WTC Final against India.

Kyle Jamieson, who has been rested for the 2nd Test against England, will join Surrey for their T20 Blast 2021 match against Middlesex on June 25. He will be available for both T20 and first-class formats. The Kiwi He will also play the final two games in the group stage of the County Championship against Hampshire (July 4-7) and Somerset (July 11-14). This will be his first time playing in English domestic cricket.

Also Read: ENG vs NZ: Kyle Jamieson sends strong warning to India ahead of WTC Finals; Watch video

“I’m really excited to get the chance to play some county cricket after the New Zealand tour. Originally, I didn’t think this opportunity would be possible with the schedule this year, but with how things have unfolded it’s great to be able to join Surrey and experience both T20 and first-class cricket,” Kyle Jamieson said.

ICC WTC Final: Kyle Jamieson has made a fantastic start to his international career. Since making his Test debut against India last year, the 6ft 8” seamer has a Test average of 15.15, with 39 wickets from just seven matches. He also has scored a half-century in Test (51*) against West Indies. In wider first-class cricket, he has almost equal averages – 21.51 with the ball and 21.13 with the bat.

His impressive performances for New Zealand attracted the attention of IPL franchises, with Jamieson eventually signing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore for a whopping Rs 15 Crore, the fourth-highest price ever paid in the competition for an overseas player.

Also Read: IPL 2021: RCB’s Kyle Jamieson reveals his struggle to live up to expectations after bagging Rs 15 crore price tag

ICC WTC Final: “Playing county cricket is something I’ve always wanted to do in my career, so to have the chance to do so now is awesome. I’ve heard a lot of great things about county cricket, particularly T20 Blast nights at The Kia Oval, and can’t wait to take up the opportunity with Surrey to continue to learn and grow whilst trying my best to contribute to the teams’ success,” Kyle Jamieson said.

The new signing comes after Australian Sean Abbott was forced to return home after damaging his hamstring on his debut for Surrey last month and pace bowler Kemar Roach went back to the West Indies for South Africa series.

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ICC WTC Final: “Kyle is a top-quality cricketer and we very much look forward to him joining us when his commitments with New Zealand have finished,” Alec Stewart, Surrey’s Director of Cricket, said.

However, before he joins Surrey, New Zealand will bank on his bowling against Virat Kohli & Co in the ICC WTC Final starting June 18. The one-off Test will be the inaugural World Cup final of Test with both sides locking horns at Southampton.

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