New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham, who is known for his witty remarks on social media, did so yet again, discarding the 2019 World Cup final against England at Lord’s, while listing out his top sporting moments.
In response to a tweet from Sky Sports NZ, which asked its audience to list out their favourite sporting matches and events, Neesham marked out as many as six games from World Cups alone, including New Zealand’s quarter-final win against South Africa in 2011 and the 2019 semi-final win against India in Manchester to round off his list.
When asked by a fan about that final at Lord’s, Neesham, who was at the crease when New Zealand fell inches short of a World Cup glory on July 14, responded in instant denial. “No thanks,” tweeted the all-rounder, who had scored 13 off 5, including a six over mid-wicket, in the Super Over bowled by Jofra Archer.
No thanks https://t.co/Mv4gqkEIxu
— Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) March 18, 2020
Neesham’s list featured the 2015 World Cup encounters against England and trans-Tasman rivals Australia, which had brought out the dominance of their bowling outfit during their run to the final. While Tim Southee’s outstanding spell had derailed England’s batting in Wellington, Trent Boult was the wrecker-in-chief when Australia were bundled out for 151 in Auckland, a game that saw the hosts inch past the eventual champions by one wicket.
Neesham also mentioned of the Test series triumph in the Caribbean in 2014 and the ODI series win in South Africa in 2012-13, the latter of which happens to be one of the only seven bilateral series wins by a visiting team in South Africa from a staggering 48 attempts. Shane Bond’s brutal spell of 6-23 that had tormented the famed Australian top-order during the 2003 World Cup encounter in Port Elizabeth and New Zealand’s narrow escape to Brathwaite’s blistering stroke-play in the 2019 round-robin encounter in Manchester, completed the list.
[breakout id=”0″][/breakout]
It was one of the umpteen times when Neesham, like most of his other teammates, had been asked about the heart-breaking result in the 2019 World Cup final.
“That’s probably my most common question: have you gotten over it yet?” the 29-year-old had said during the home T20I series against England in November last year. “I don’t think it’s about getting over it, it’s just accepting it.”
