James Neesham, who isn’t a part of New Zealand’s T20I series against Bangladesh, is presently in UAE preparing for the IPL 2021 Phase-2 with Mumbai Indians. A Pakistani fan, on Twitter, levied a grave allegation on the Kiwi all-rounder saying he skipped the New Zealand national cricket team’s assignment because of money.
Since James Neesham is in UAE as part of the Mumbai Indians camp for the IPL 2021 Phase-2, he wasn’t included in the New Zealand and Bangladesh T20I series. On Wednesday, James Neesham took to Twitter to ask if the opening match of the series will be aired on TV in UAE.
James Neesham Plays For Mumbai Indians In IPL 2021 And Isn’t Part Of The New Zealand And Bangladesh Series
With less than a month remaining for the IPL 2021 to resume, many cricketers have started arriving in UAE, the venue for the remainder of the tournament. Among those who have arrived in the Asian nation is Kiwi all-rounder James Neesham, who plays for the defending champions Mumbai Indians. While James Neesham joins the Mumbai Paltan in UAE, New Zealand is touring Bangladesh and later Pakistan for a limited-over series scheduled for this month.
The move by James Neesham was not welcomed by many Pakistani cricket fans as they hurled abuses at the all-rounder, claiming that he chose money over national duties. Irked with the negative reactions, the Kiwi all-rounder sent out a tweet responding back to the trolls. In his tweet, he mentioned that the New Zealand Cricket board had not allowed any first-choice team members on the tour.
“Does anyone know if the @BLACKCAPS v @BCBtigers series is on tv in the UAE? If yes, which channel? If no, how can I watch it online?”, he tweeted.
A fan responded saying: “Shame on you. Skipped national duties for Money.”
Infuriated with the fan’s comment, James Neesham responded saying: “I’m getting a lot of messages like this so I want to be crystal clear. It is an NZ Cricket player welfare policy that first-choice players aren’t on this tour. I made a request for an exemption but that request was denied.”
New Zealand is also scheduled to play Pakistan after the Bangladesh series but a number of first-team players have been rested for both series. In fact, James Neesham had asked the NZC to be a part of the tours but the board decided to rest its key players before the T20 World Cup 2021.
Jimmy Neesham Reached UAE To Participate In The IPL 2021
The Kiwi all-rounder has reached UAE to compete in IPL 2021 and after completing his quarantine period he will be joining the rest of the squad. James Neesham became a part of the Mumbai unit after he was purchased for Rs 50 lakhs in the mini-auction held earlier this year. However, with Mumbai being a star-studded side, James Neesham has so featured in just one match out of the seven games the team played in the first phase of IPL 2021.
After the conclusion of the Bangladesh series, New Zealand is scheduled to fly to Pakistan for their first cricketing series in the country in 18 years. A number of Pakistan cricket team’s fans and former players have expressed their disappointment overseeing some top Kiwi players missing from the roster.
The Kiwi all-rounder made his IPL debut in 2014 where he played only 4 games for Delhi. James Neesham made his comeback to the tournament in the 2020 season, participating in 5 games for the Punjab Kings(then KXIP).
He had an ordinary season with the bat and ball considering his potential and his achievements at the International stage. With the current squad setup, James Neesham can potentially play the finisher’s role as well as bowl the crucial overs in the middle for the Mumbai Indians.