James Neesham - Interesting Facts, Trivia, And Record About 'Jimmy'

James Neesham, who celebrates his birthday on 17th September, is one of the top all-rounders in the world currently. Neesham is not only a hard hitter on the field but also one of the wittiest cricket

James Neesham, who celebrates his birthday today (on 17th September), is one of the top all-rounders in the world currently. Neesham is not only a hard hitter on the field but also one of the wittiest cricketers. 

Here are some interesting facts, trivia, and records about James Neesham: 

1) Born in Auckland, James Neesham made his first-class debut in 2010 after an impressive under-19 World Cup. However, he soon moved to Otago Volts. 

2) Neesham made his test debut against India in 2014. He partnered with Brendon McCullum, who scored a triple century, to add 179 runs for the seventh wicket - the sixth-highest for a Kiwi pair. The all-rounder scored 137 - the highest score by a New Zealander batting at number eight on Test debut. 

3) In his second test, Neesham once again smashed a ton to become the first from New Zealand to score two centuries in the first two matches. 

4) Neesham was left 'gut wrenched' after losing out a World Cup spot to Grant Elliot in 2015. When Elliot smashed the six off Dale Steyn to take New Zealand into the final, Neesham was also present in the stands. 

5) In 2017, the then 26-year-old Neesham wanted to retire from international cricket due to poor form and injury problems. However, he was talked out of by Heath Mills. The all-rounder returned in 2018 after a dominating domestic season and became a regular in the New Zealand squad. He was part of the 2019 World Cup squad. 

6) Jimmy Neesham has so far played for 21 teams in professional cricket, including four IPL teams - Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR), Delhi Daredevils(DD), Kings XI Punjab(KXIP), and Mumbai Indians(MI). 

7) James Neesham has so far played 12 test matches where he has scored 709 runs and taken 14 wickets. In 66 ODIs, Neesham has scored 1320 runs and picked 68 wickets. 

8) The all-rounder has played 65 first-class matches where he has scored 3239 runs and scalped 118 wickets. In 128 List-A games, Neesham has made 3083 runs and taken 143 wickets.