‘You don’t come halfway around the world just to win a semi-final’: James Neesham on viral celebration photo
Soon after the win against England in semi-final, the entire New Zealand unit jumped in ecstasy but what caught the eyes of the netizens was a quiet James Neesham, who sat ice-cold in the dugout while his teammates jumped into celebration mode.
New Zealand all-rounder James Neesham lighted up the scene for the supporters present at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, when he played a quickfire knock of 27 off 11 balls to help New Zealand seal their maiden T20 World Cup final appearance. The all-rounder, who came to bat at a tricky situation when the Black Caps required 60 to win from 29 balls against a formidable England attack, took no time to settle and played a key role in New Zealand's five-wicket win over Eoin Morgan and co in the first semi-final.
While Neesham did put New Zealand close to a handsome win, but he failed to finish the task as Daryl Mitchel (72* off 47) hit the winning runs and helped his side complete the 167-run chase with an over to spare.
Soon after the win, the entire New Zealand unit jumped in ecstasy but what caught the eyes of the netizens was a quiet Neesham, who sat ice-cold in the dugout while his teammates jumped into celebration mode.
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The photo of Neesham soon went viral and the 31-year-old all-rounder, who is an avid Twitter user, himself participated on the micro-blogging site to give fans a picture of what his objectives are from the T20 World Cup.
Now speaking to New Zealand's in-house media team (New Zealand Cricket media), the all-rounder stated it was a bit too early to celebrate and would like to go bigger if the team lift the trophy.
"It's a situation worthy of celebrating I guess – winning a semi-final – but you don't come halfway around the world just to win a semi-final," responded Neesham when asked about his muted celebrations.
"We've got our sights pretty firmly set on the game in a few days' time…I'm personally, and we as a team, are not getting ahead of ourselves. One game to go and I'm sure there will be a bigger outpouring of emotion if we manage to get across the line," he added while sharing his views on the summit clash, which will be played between Australia and New Zealand at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday evening.
