Jimmy Neesham denies central contract, commitments with T20 leagues
And one more cricketer goes free agent. Jimmy Neesham, New Zealand allrounder, has refused a contract offer from New Zealand cricket, citing prior commitments with T20 leagues worldwide. Neesham was offered a contract after Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme were released from l of contracted players last month.
Just like Boult, though, Neesham would still be considered for selection for New Zealand when available. Boult too had played in the recent series against Australia.
Neesham plays for Rajasthan Royals though he doesn’t get much play time. On Thursday, when a fan asked him why he doesn’t perform as well in IPL as he does for New Zealand, he tweeted: “I probably wouldn’t perform well in international cricket either if I played one game a year,” with an emoji attached.
I probably wouldn’t perform well in international cricket either if I played one game a year 😂 https://t.co/Yf8DELsYur
— Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) September 15, 2022
Neesham has suffered from depression in the past and had nearly quit the game.
“He was struggling to cope, and it had all got a bit too much for him. The stress of the sport and combined with his personal well-being had grown too severe. He felt like giving up the game would be the best way out,” Heath Mills had told this newspaper. “I told him why don’t you just step away from the game for a while. A short break. This isn’t the time to take any drastic decisions. Come back after a few weeks, and then let’s see how we feel in 4 to 5 weeks. We were able to do that.”
Post Neesham’s refusal, Finn Allen, an opening batsman who has played 6 T20s, and Blair Tickner, a bowler who has played 6 ODIS and 11 T20s, have been given their first central contracts.
The head coach Gary Stead talked up the pair. “He’s [Tickner] a bowler who just keeps improving and we’ve been particularly impressed with his red-ball development, which saw him in the recent squads for the England and South Africa tests. He knows the environment, understands his role, and bowls with good pace and aggression.
“Finn clearly has huge talent and potential. He’s shown he’s up to the international level in his limited opportunities to date.”
