WTC final: Kyle Jamieson reveals he hid in the bathroom during New Zealand's 'nerve-racking' chase against India
Watching New Zealand chase 139 on the final day of the World Test Championship (WTC) final was a 'nerve-racking' experience for Kyle Jamieson. So much so that the lanky all-rounder hid in the bathroom to bury out the noise of the Indian crowd.
New Zealand registered a fairly comfortable eight-wicket win in the end, with Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson guiding the Kiwis home without any major hiccups.
In an interaction with Country Sport Breakfast on Gold AM, Kyle Jamieson explained that seeing his team chase the runs in the second innings was the "toughest period of cricket he has been a part of, in terms of watching." He said:
"It was probably the toughest period of cricket I've been a part of, in terms of watching. We were sitting inside and actually watching on TV. There was a bit of a delay but it seemed like every ball the Indian crowd was up and about and I was like 'jeez it's a wicket' or something like that, but it turned out it was just a block or a single."
Speaking further on the matter, Jamieson stated how he hid in the bathroom at times to drown out the noise which was being made by the crowd at the Ageas Bowl. He added:
"It was pretty tough to watch. I actually tried to at times to go to the bathroom where there was no noise to just get away from it for a while because it was quite nerve-racking. But it was nice to have Kane and Ross out there, two of our greatest ever batters really to calm the nerves and finish the job the way they did."
"It's kind of the life we live a little bit" - Kyle Jamieson on playing for Surrey 48 hours after lifting the WTC title
Kyle Jamieson admitted it was tough to say goodbye to his teammates within 48 hours of their historic WTC triumph. The bowler was, in fact, back on the cricket field for Surrey, playing in the T20 Blast on Friday. Jamieson returned with figures of 0-26 in his three overs in the T20 game after winning the Man of the Match award in the WTC final.
Kyle Jamieson, however, isn't complaining too much and is happy to have some county cricket experience under his belt. He said in this regard:
"It was certainly tough to say goodbye to those guys. Coming off a high of what we just experienced and that moment we all enjoyed together, to go and say goodbye was quite tough. It was a quick turnaround. I think within 48 hours I was back on the park playing T20 for Surrey. It's kind of the life we live a little bit. But it's nice to stay on and to experience county cricket for the next few weeks."
The 26-year-old further added that although he is keen to head home, he is grateful to be playing a sport he loves around the globe, even in times of the pandemic.