Allrounder James Neesham has surpassed Kane Williamson to score the most runs in an over by a New Zealand batsman in ODIs. Neesham, playing his first international match in nearly 17 months, took 34 runs from the penultimate over of the innings against Sri Lanka in the first ODI in Mount Maunganui to remain unbeaten on 47 off 13 and power New Zealand to 371 for 7 in 50 overs. (ALSO READ: Neesham returns for NZ after 17-month absence)
Thisara Perera was the bowler in the firing line, who conceded five sixes, a double off a no ball and a single for Neesham to top Williamson’s 31 in an over against Canada in 2010. Neesham joins AB de Villiers for the third most numbers of runs scored in an ODI, behind Herschelle Gibbs’ 36 against the Netherlands in the 2007 World Cup and Perera’s 35 against South Africa at Pallekele in 2013.
In the 48th over, Neesham carted the first five deliveries for a maximum. The first ball was a length ball and the left-hander wacked it towards cow corner. The next two were deposited straight back past the bowler, over long on and slightly straight. The fourth was a full toss, once against deposited over cow corner. With the pressure mounting, Perera erred and bowled one over waist high – a no ball and two runs taken. He pulled his length back the next ball, but it was a little too full. The result was another six, on the roof over long-on. A world record in sight, Perera got a yorker in which resulted in only a single.
Neesham’s strike rate read 361.53, the second-highest for a New Zealand batsman in an innings.
HIGHEST STRIKE-RATE IN AN INNINGS (NEW ZEALAND):
Player |
Runs |
Balls |
4s |
6s |
SR |
Team |
Ground |
Year |
J Franklin |
31* |
8 |
2 |
3 |
387.60 |
CAN |
Mumbai |
2011 |
J Neesham |
47* |
13 |
0 |
6 |
361.53 |
SL |
Bay Oval |
2019 |
N McCullum |
32* |
9 |
3 |
3 |
355.55 |
SL |
Hambantota |
2013 |
M Guptill |
93* |
30 |
9 |
8 |
310 |
SL |
Christchurch |
2015 |
B McCullum |
77 |
25 |
8 |
7 |
308 |
ENG |
Wellington |
2015 |
B McCullum |
33 |
11 |
3 |
3 |
300 |
WI |
Queenstown |
2014 |
Having last played international cricket during the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, Neesham forced his way back into the reckoning with a successful 2018-19 Ford Trophy followed by two games for New Zealand A versus India A last month.
The 28-year-old finished as the second-highest run-getter of the Ford Trophy with 503 from 11 innings at an average of 71 and strike-rate of 110.79, with two hundreds – the only of his List A career – and three fifties. Neesham’s seam bowling has been handy too, with 13 wickets at an economy of 5.81.
He had lost his place in September 2017 after managing a solitary half-century in 11 ODIs that year and only four wickets.