Will O’Rourke, the towering New Zealand fast bowler, made an immediate impact in his first Test outing in Asia, tormenting the Sri Lankan batters with his pace and bounce.
In his opening spell, O’Rourke unleashed a barrage of bouncers, reaching speeds of over 140kph and extracting uncomfortable bounce from his 6’4″ frame. His first Test wicket on the continent came from a bouncer, as experienced opener Dimuth Karunaratne, rattled by O’Rourke’s previous deliveries, edged one to the wicketkeeper.
Pathum Nissanka, who had scored a century in his last Test innings, was dismissed by an even more impressive delivery, a rapid yorker that he failed to bring his bat down on in time, resulting in his stumps being shattered.
O’Rourke’s success in his first outing in dry conditions defied the expectations of many foreign seamers who often struggle in such conditions. “Me and Tim Southee as the pace bowlers have the role to be aggressive and bowl quick and unsettle people,” O’Rourke explained.
In his first five-over spell, O’Rourke claimed two wickets for 26 runs. “We probably wanted to have a bat first, but we had a bowl, and Tim and I were getting good carry, so the communication was to run in hard and hit the deck hard,” he said.
O’Rourke’s third wicket was particularly impressive. He induced a sharp rise from the pitch to strike Angelo Mathews on the index finger, forcing him to retire hurt. When Mathews returned to the crease, O’Rourke dismissed him with another short, sharp delivery, which Mathews fended at from an awkward position.
“It’s very special being this early on in my career bowling to legends like Angelo Mathews,” O’Rourke said. “One ball maybe jumped and caught him on the finger and unsettled him a little bit. It’s special to be able to bowl to greats like him and lucky enough to get his wicket at the end.”
O’Rourke, in his third Test, is also benefiting from the mentorship of Tim Southee, who has a wealth of experience in Sri Lanka. “Having Tim as captain is awesome,” O’Rourke said. “Getting him at mid-on, or even third slip when he comes over and gives you a wee pointer – that’s a big part of our team and a big part of helping me out.”
