Meet Will O'Rourke, New Zealand's Kyle Jamieson clone

At well over six feet, he's among the tallest bowlers on the circuit. He has played for Canterbury and, with that height, he generates steep bounce. He can also touch speeds of 140kph. Nah, we aren't talking about Kyle Jamieson. Meet Will O'Rourke, who is a clone of Jamieson.

O'Rourke made his senior debut for Canterbury only last year, but has bolted into New Zealand's side, getting his first call-up for the upcoming home ODI series against Bangladesh. Jamieson (6'8") is even taller than O'Rourke (6'4"), and the prospect of the two towering quicks bowling in tandem could be mouth-watering. O'Rourke is hoping to learn as much as he can from Jamieson and the other senior bowlers during the Bangladesh series.

"I think for a start... just being with a bunch of good players," O'Rourke said in the lead-up to the ODIs. "Just try to learn off them and if I get an opportunity to play, I'll try to take that opportunity, but it's all about being around the environment and just learning from my first experience.

"I had a bit to do with Kyle this winter, so it's been good talking to him. He's obviously taller than me, but [I] try to bounce a bit off him. I've been net bowling to him, but he has been slapping me around a wee bit [laughs]…no, it's just talking to him about what he does, what has got him to the levels he's been at and just trying to take everything I can from him."

O'Rourke has an intriguing background. He was born in the UK to Kiwi parents who had moved there for work. He lived there until he was about five and then returned home, following his father Patrick O'Rourke's footsteps into New Zealand domestic cricket. Patrick played 29 first-class matches and 19 List A games for Wellington between 1989-90 and 1992-93.

"Dad has always been the biggest motivator for me," O'Rourke said. "[He] played for Wellington for a bit in his career, so he has always wanted me to go as far as I can.

"It [playing for England] was never on my radar. I've always wanted to play for the Black Caps. It's the only team that I've ever wanted to play for."

O'Rourke was already on Canterbury's radar after a stint with the New Zealand Under-19s side, but he hit greater heights in the 2022-23 domestic white-ball tournaments. In the 50-over Ford Trophy, O'Rourke was Canterbury's joint-highest wicket-taker, with 13 strikes in nine games at an economy rate of 4.89. In the 20-over Super Smash, too, he finished as Canterbury's joint-highest wicket-taker, with 12 scalps in ten games at an economy rate of 8.05.

Canterbury coach Peter Fulton was pleasantly surprised by the rapid progress of O'Rourke - and the rest of the inexperienced seamers - during their run to the Super Smash final. O'Rourke then made it to the New Zealand A side and dismissed Matt Short, Matt Renshaw and Josh Philippe in a one-day fixture in Brisbane in September earlier this year.

New Zealand selection manager Sam Wells has also talked O'Rourke up, backing him to carry his domestic form into international cricket without tinkering with his game.

"Will has been identified for quite some time," Wells said. "He's someone who has the tools to succeed at this level and he showed that for New Zealand A. When you're two metres tall and can bowl [at a] reasonable pace, you're always on someone's radar. O'Rourke ticked a few of those boxes but he was picked for his performances as well.

"Will just needs to bring what he has brought to the Canterbury side and New Zealand A. It's just another game; obviously it's important for him he gets the chance to debut for his country. That would be a special occasion but he just needs to do what he has done - bowl in good areas, bowl at pace and bowl with aggression."

Given his towering frame, O'Rourke could also be on the radar of IPL scouts, perhaps? He is part of the names shortlisted for the upcoming IPL 2024 auction. He has listed his base price at INR 20 lakh (USD 24,000 approx.) and will be among the 14 New Zealanders up for grabs at the auction that will be held on December 19 in Dubai. There could be a few special occasions lined up this month for O'Rourke.