Jimmy Neesham came agonizingly close once again and almost pulled off an exceptional run-chase for New Zealand in a World Cup game. However, for the second time in his career, he failed in his attempt while completing a runout, as Australia won the exciting thriller in Dharamsala by five runs. In the clash that was dubbed by many as the match of the tournament thus far, Neesham admitted to reliving the 2019 CWC final scenario while he was coming on to bat.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Australia and New Zealand played a contest to be remembered for a long time. While Travis Head and Rachin Ravindra walked out as centurions in this Super-Saturday clash, Jimmy Neesham’s cameo in the end decided the fate.
With around 100 needed in the last ten overs, New Zealand were not the favourites; however, it didn’t take them long to change the equation as they kept fighting till the end.
Playing another world-class knock under pressure, Neesham scored 58 off 39 balls, hitting three sixes and as many fours. With 19 runs required off the last over and Starc bowling from the other end, Neesham was New Zealand’s last hope as they looked likely to create history in Dharamsala.
Although a four off a wide ball and three doubles put the Kiwis on the cusp of completing the highest-successful run-chase in CWCs, Neesham’s runout on the penultimate delivery buried all hopes, as Australia ended up on the winning side.
Commenting on the experience of this thunderbolt game, Neesham said, “Actually, that [2019 final] was the first thing I thought of when I was coming off, that it’s going to look very, very similar,” Neesham said. “I mean that’s the nature, isn’t it? You want to be desperate, I suppose, in those situations, and you’d much rather get run out on your stomach than on your feet.”
It’s the nature of the game
Given how stressful run-chases can be in cricket, Neesham said though he would have loved to help his team win the game over the Aussies, he wasn’t stressed about the outcome, having learnt to deal with it thanks to his past experiences.
“You worked for six and a half hours during the day, and it comes down to potentially two deliveries,” Neesham said. “And four years ago, we worked for two months, and it came down to one delivery. It’s just the nature of the game.
“I can think of one reason that I don’t focus on the result as much anymore, but look, I think that’s one of the things you learn as you get a little bit older.
Obviously, I’m probably closer towards the back end of my career than I am to the front. So yeah, it doesn’t pay to stress too much on the results. I think everyone wants to win, and everyone’s desperate to win, especially in world tournaments, but that can’t dictate how you want to play the game,” Neesham added.
Meanwhile, New Zealand is third on the points table with four wins from six contested matches.
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