James Neesham became a talking point on social media after the summit clash of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. The New Zealand all-rounder put in a magnificent spell in the final, but then rose to internet fame after commenting on a post made by his former team.
It was an Instagram post by Pokhara Avengers (Neesham's former franchise in the Nepal Premier League) that praised the kiwi for his effort in the final against the India national cricket team.
During the course of the match, Neesham had an incredible 16th over where he scalped three wickets and reduced India's scoring rate for a moment. The franchise congratulated the player after the match.
The post read:
"Exceptional over from Jimmy Neesham in the 16th over of the T20 World Cup Final.
W 0 0 1 W W. 3 wickets, 1 run and 2 dots against India. A phenomenal spell in the big stages.
Tough luck that New Zealand finished second in the final.
Proud to have witnessed him wear the Pokhara Avengers colours in NPL Season 2."
Neesham's Reply Takes the Internet by Storm
It was Neesham's reply on the above mentioned post that gained him quite some popularity. The left-hander left a short but potent comment under the post.
"Cool, pay your players," it said.
Neesham's comment went viral and several screenshots of it were uploaded on social media with the all-rounder highlighting the payment issues surrounding the franchise. The Pokhara Avengers found themselves in a spot of bother as Neesham's reply put the franchise under scrutiny on the internet.
Meanwhile, the final turned out to be a one-sided affair with the India beating New Zealand comprehensively by 96 runs in the summit clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Batting first, the India national cricket team piled up a mammoth 255/5. Sanju Samson chipped in with a scintillating 89 off 46 balls and was one of the many half-centuries for the Indian side in the tournament (3rd straight for him). New Zealand struggled in the chase and was all out for 159 in 19 overs. Jasprit Bumrah was instrumental for India with the ball picking up 4 wickets for just 15 runs in four overs, while Axar Patel chipped in with three wickets.
For the New Zealand side, the only fight shown came from the opening batter, Tim Seifert who hammered 52 off 26 balls with five sixes in his innings but it was not enough.