Neesham: World Cup won’t define me
When Jimmy Neesham strode out to a warm reception from the Wellington crowd on Sunday, it seemed a mix of ‘welcome home’ and ‘hope you’re OK’.
The allrounder wore the black kit for the first time since July’s World Cup final against England, when he was a central figure in the dramatic conclusion and emotional aftermath at Lord’s.
Exactly 16 weeks on against the same opponents – albeit a vastly different England lineup – Neesham responded with a powerhouse knock of 42 off 22 balls in New Zealand’s 21-run victory in the second Twenty20 international.
After Neesham and Martin Guptill fell agonisingly short in the Super Over at Lord’s, and the Black Caps graciously handled defeat on boundary countback, Neesham jetted off to Canada and the Caribbean for T20 leagues.
‘‘I was almost thankful in the end not to be over there [the next tour in Sri Lanka] because I don’t know how those test guys got back into it so quickly,’’ Neesham told Stuff yesterday.
Batting at No 7, Jimmy Neesham gave the New Zealand innings the late momentum it needed in Wellington on Sunday.
‘‘That World Cup will always be part of the fabric of my career but it’s certainly not something I’m hoping defines my career.’’
On a sunny Sunday in his adopted home province, Neesham drew a line under that other sunny Sunday in London and set his sights on making a case for T20 World Cup selection in Australia next October.
‘‘That’s probably my most common question: have you
gotten over it yet? I don’t think it’s about getting over it, it’s just accepting it,’’ Neesham said.
‘‘It will be there forever, you can’t change it. It doesn’t mean you have to dwell on it any more than a fleeting thought every now and then.
‘‘Obviously playing England again so soon brings up those questions again. And, really, it was a phenomenal effort in that tournament, you can still be
What: New Zealand v England, third Twenty20 international Where: Saxton Oval, Nelson When: 2pm today (live on Stuff from 1.30pm)
TAB odds: NZ $1.69, England $2.08
proud of the efforts of all the guys on the field. That’s what counts and we’ll draw a line and go on.’’
Sunday was a fresh start in more ways than one, as Neesham played his first T20 international in nearly three years.
In that time he fell out of love with the game, hit a low point with Otago then walked away from cricket. He was welcomed into the Firebirds and rediscovered his enjoyment, returned to the Black Caps and was one of their best at the World Cup.
‘‘I want to play every game I can for New Zealand. I just ticked over 29 and I’m at the stage of my career where I feel like I’ve started to get things together.’’
That means adapting to different roles, like the job of No 7 finisher Neesham was given on Sunday. He arrived at 121-5 with 6.1 overs left, joining the calming influence of Ross Taylor.
Neesham faced 22 of the 37 remaining balls, survived when James Vince dropped a thunderbolt on the boundary, and made England pay by swatting four sixes.
‘‘When you try to hit at the death at T20 you don’t want to leave guys like Tim Southee and Mitch Santner to do the lion’s share of the work in the last twothree overs,’’ he said. ‘‘It was difficult to hit classical boundaries along the ground, on that ground, and it was just about picking a moment and a bowler to pull the trigger.’’
New Zealand then fielded superbly, taking nine catches while England shelled at least five.
‘‘The most pleasing point of the game was that we out-fielded them.’’
Now it’s 1-1 with three to play and the teams reconvene in Nelson today, having shaken off their rusty start in Christchurch with a slick performance.
Said Neesham: ‘‘In the NBA finals there’s a huge statistic around game three, if you go 2-1 or 3-0 down it’s pretty hard to go back from there. It’s the same in a five-match series and you want to go to game three 1-1 and carry on the momentum.’’