OTD | New Zealand’s star all-rounder James Neesham was born in 1990

New Zealand all-rounder James Neesham, aka Jimmy Neesham, was born on 17 September 1990. The southpaw is known for his ability to nonchalantly clear the boundary ropes. However, due to inconsistency, Neesham failed to have a consistent run with the national team. 

The Auckland-born cricketer first grabbed the limelight during the 2010 U-19 World Cup. He impressed with his all-round abilities during his initial two years of first-class career and eventually received a national call-up in the T20I format in December 2012. He also made his ODI debut on the same tour against South Africa in January 2013. 

Neesham was a crucial part of the New Zealand team that finished as runners-up in the 2019 ODI World Cup. He also played the 2021 T20 World Cup. The 34-year-old has represented the Black Caps in 76 ODIs and 79 T20Is, scoring 1495 and 944 runs, respectively. 

Despite boasting a strike rate close to 100 in the 50-over format, he is yet to score a century. Coming to the bowling department, Neesham has taken 71 wickets in ODIs and 39 wickets in the shorter format. 

A vibrant start to Test cricket, but did not flourish

Neesham made his Test debut against India in February 2014. He slammed an unbeaten 137 and became the highest run-getter on debut by a Test number 8 batter. A few months later, he made a century in his second Test against West Indies and became the first Kiwi cricketer to score centuries in his first two matches. 

Despite getting off to a good start in the longer format, Neesham failed to maintain consistency and could not cement his position. He played only 12 Test matches to date, scoring 709 runs and picking up 14 wickets. His last match was against South Africa in 2017.

Neesham is a globetrotter who plays in various T20 leagues around the world. He made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut with Delhi Daredevils (Delhi Capitals) in 2014. The right-arm medium pacer has taken 8 wickets and scored 92 runs in 14 IPL matches.