About James Neesham

James Neesham first came into limelight as a promising all-rounder in the U-19 World Cup of 2010. Within two years of making his first-class debut, Neesham was called into New Zealand's T20I squad for the series against South Africa in 2012-2013. He eventually made his T20I debut at Durban, followed by his ODI debut at Paarl.

Earlier, Neesham began playing for Auckland in domestic cricket but then shifted to Otago and shone in the 50-over format for them in the 2011-2012 season. He made three 40-plus scores at a good strike rate and had a decent run with the ball too, picking up his career-best figures of 5-44 against Wellington.

Neesham performed fantastically in the 2013 Champions League for the Otago Volts, aiding them in many victories in the early stages of the tournament.

He has been a useful player for New Zealand in recent times churning out crucial performances when needed. His dedication to improve earned him his Test cap against India in the second Test at Wellington in February 2014. He hit his maiden century in the game scoring a fantastic 137, the highest score on debut by a number 8 batsman in Tests.