James Neesham to take a call on his international career after T20 World Cup 2024

New Zealand star James Neesham has said he will be taking a call on his international career after the conclusion of this year’s ICC T20 World Cup. The 2024 T20 World Cup is scheduled to be played in June this year in the Caribbeans and the United States of America.

The 33-year-old said that while he has not set any long-term goals for himself, he is presently focused on winning the T20 World Cup for his team. He said that after the tournament, he will be taking a big call on whether to continue in international cricket or play only in T20 leagues. At present, he is plying his trade in the Bangladesh Premier League where he is representing Rangpur Riders.

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Neesham opens up on his retirrement

“I don’t take too many long-term goals. Obvious goal is the T20 World Cup coming up in a couple of month’s time and try to win that for New Zealand. After that, probably I will take a pause and have a think about my international future whether I will keep playing for New Zealand or I will go for full-time T20s,” James Neesham was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

“I think as an all-rounder, you played until 35-36 years of your age, is a pretty good effort. So I will try to stay as fit as it can and stay in good shape.

“Hopefully, I will stay injury-free and see how long I can play cricket and contribute to winning teams,” he added.

James Neesham already plays limited cricket in the international arena. The veteran allrounder had declined the central contract from New Zealand Cricket in 2022 due to his commitment to T20 leagues. He was not a part of the original central contracts list but was offered one when Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme declined contracts. However, the left-handed batsman respected his commitment to the T20 leagues and decided against accepting a central contract.

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James Neesham’s career so far:

James Neesham has played 72 T20Is for Bangladesh so far and has scored 900 runs in addition to picking up 36 wickets. He has also represented the Black Caps in 12 Tests and 76 ODIs, scoring over 2000 runs and taking 85 wickets. He was a part of New Zealand’s squad for the ODI World Cup last year.

Neesham’s last appearance for New Zealand came in December last year during the T20I series against Bangladesh. While he is not a part of the team for the upcoming three-match series against Australia, he is expected to cut the T20 World Cup.

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