HAMILTON: New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson has said the hosts’ inability to field a settled bowling attack during the white-ball series against India has affected their rhythm and cohesion, describing the disruption as a source of frustration.
Jamieson spoke before the toss in the third ODI, which was later washed out. New Zealand trail the five-match series 0-2, with two matches remaining. They had also lost the preceding five-match T20 series 3-2.
The hosts have been without senior fast bowlers Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson, both ruled out of the series. Blair Tickner also suffered a hand injury in the previous match, adding to the uncertainty around the bowling combination.
"It's a wee bit of frustration, right?" Jamieson told the host broadcaster. He said the team had wanted to field a consistent attack to build camaraderie and cohesion, but had not had the repetition needed to develop that understanding.
He hoped the bowlers would be back together within a couple of weeks for what he described as "a good run of cricket".
Jamieson was among New Zealand’s better performers in Wellington, taking 3/35 in conditions that offered seam movement and bounce. He said the challenge was to manage the weather, assess the surface and put the opposition under pressure.
The fast bowler also welcomed pitches that offered assistance to seamers. Saying he was accustomed to conditions where keeping the economy rate below 10 could count as a good day, he said it was refreshing to have "a little bit in your favour".
With a busy Test season ahead, Jamieson acknowledged that switching back to red-ball cricket takes time. He said the approach was to trust the preparation and the process rather than fight the conditions presented by the game.
He added that his time away from competitive cricket had been focused on improving his physical condition and managing his workload. While he felt his game was already in a reasonable place, he believed a consistent run of matches would help him find his rhythm.
Jamieson said he felt he was now "coming out the other side", with an extended stretch of Test cricket ahead.
New Zealand have two matches left in the ODI series to settle their bowling combination and regain consistency.
(With inputs from media reports)