James Neesham

One of the funniest men on Twitter, James Neesham has had a bittersweet relationship with ODI cricket. Just before the 2019 World Cup the all-rounder was reportedly ready to quit the sport because his form had deserted him and injuries had taken a toll. But after being persuaded to defer his retirement plans by the CEO of the New Zealand Players Association, Neesham made the cut for the 2019 World Cup.

After having missed the 2015 World Cup bus narrowly (with the selectors choosing to pick Grant Elliot instead), he was determined to make the most of his appearance at the 2019 World Cup.

After decent performances at the 2019 World Cup, Neesham was a central figure in New Zealand’s defeat to England in the final by the absurd boundary countback rule. It was Neesham who had effected the run-out that pushed the final into a Super Over. And once there, it was Neesham who had almost single-handedly helped the Kiwis chase down the total before his partner Martin Guptill got run out to hand the Cup to England.

He is yet to score a century in the ODIs, with an unbeaten 97 the closest he has come.

One-day memory:
In 2019, Jimmy Neesham made a comeback to New Zealand’s ODI side with an unbeaten 47 off 13 balls against Sri Lanka. But what was remarkable in that innings was that he tonked a hapless Thisara Perera for 34 runs in one over. The scores off that over read: 6, 6, 6, 6, 2nb, 6, 1.

One more thing:
After the heartbreak against England in the final by the boundary countback rule, James Neesham managed to sum up his emotions with a simple tweet. “Kids, don’t take up sport. Take up baking or something. Die at 60 really fat and happy,” he said.