During the final T20I match against Pakistan in Wellington, New Zealand allrounder James Neesham truly shone and made the day unforgettable for both himself and his team. He was instrumental with the ball, playing a huge part in securing a convincing eight-wicket victory.
Neesham, known for being a right-arm pacer, achieved a personal milestone by claiming his first five-wicket haul in T20 internationals. He wrapped up his spell with impressive figures of 5 wickets for 22 runs across four overs. Among the players he bowled out were Abul Samad, who scored just 4 runs, Shadab Khan with 28, Jahandad Khan for a single run, Salman Agha who managed to make 51, and Sufiyan Muqeem, who unfortunately went out for a duck.
With this fantastic performance, Neesham became only the fifth bowler in T20I history to secure a five-wicket haul against Pakistan. He joined the ranks of other bowlers like Tim Southee, James Faulkner, Dwaine Pretorius, and Spencer Johnson, who all had similar achievements in the past.
Thanks to Neesham’s outstanding bowling, Pakistan found it tough to score and ended up posting a total of only 128 runs for nine wickets after being invited to bat first. New Zealand, in response, displayed a powerful batting performance and chased down the target with ease, scoring 132 for just 2 wickets in a mere 10 overs. A special mention goes to opener Tim Seifert, who was simply on fire by scoring an impressive 97 runs off just 38 balls.
With this win, New Zealand wrapped up the series against Pakistan with a notable 4-1 record. Now, both teams will start to shift their focus to the upcoming three-match ODI series, which is set to kick off on March 29 in Napier. The excitement continues as cricket fans look forward to what lies ahead!
