Neesham closes deal for Firebirds
The only New Zealand cricketer sold at the Indian Premier League auction on Thursday, Jimmy Neesham showed his worth as a big match player to help Wellington pinch a shock win in the men’s Twenty20 Super Smash yesterday.
Previously unbeaten Otago Volts were poised for victory needing six off the final over with Nick Kelly (85 off 53 balls) in full flight, before the Black Caps allrounder grabbed the ball to close out a one-run win for the Firebirds at the Basin Reserve.
Neesham had Kelly caught at long on, second ball, just a few metres short of clinching victory, then picked up Josh Finnie caught at deep mid-wicket off the penultimate delivery.
Dean Foxcroft took strike with the Volts needing three off the final ball and Neesham bowled a full, wider one that Foxcroft missed to spark wild celebrations by the hosts who defended 182-1.
The Volts ended 181-4 and suffered their first defeat from four matches, while the Firebirds won their second match from three after losing to the Stags in veteran spinner Jeetan Patel’s farewell on Wednesday.
Neesham began the final over with figures of 0-21 off two and ended with 2-24, while seamer Ollie Newton was the standout with the ball with 1-18 off four overs.
Kelly and Neil Broom (66 off 50) had the match in their grasp after they plundered 150 for the second wicket, a record men’s domestic T20 partnership at the Basin.
From 169-1 in the 18th over they lost Broom who was skittled by senior man Hamish Bennett, but still looked on track before the final over drama.
Kelly, the Australian lefthander who transferred from Northern Districts this season, cleared the rope five times in his dazzling knock as Wellington’s spinners struggled in the postPatel era. Malcolm Nofal and Rachin Ravindra conceded 64 off a combined five overs.
Anything over 180 usually proves hard to chase in Twenty20 cricket in New Zealand, and the Firebirds looked to have a competitive total even if 200-plus may have gone begging.
Opener Michael Pollard began with a rush, blasting five sixes in his knock of 70 off 40 balls, before Devon Conway and the promoted Neesham saw them home.
After what Conway described as ‘‘one of my scratchier 50s,’’ he finished 63 not out off 48 balls, while Neesham faced 32 balls in his unbeaten 47 after he was dropped off successive deliveries by Foxcroft – both searing return catches to the spinner.