WTC final: "Guys aren't frightened by a chase of 5 or 6 runs an over" - Jimmy Neesham picks the ideal target for New Zealand
Jimmy Neesham believes New Zealand will fancy their chances of winning the World Test Championship (WTC) final if they can restrict India to a lead of 170-200 runs. The all-rounder is confident that the Kiwis have enough “strokemakers” with “ODI skills” who can score at a brisk rate.
The WTC final currently hangs in the balance after a stirring day of Test cricket on Tuesday. As the match enters the reserve day, India are just 32 runs ahead with eight wickets in hand. They have lost both openers, with skipper Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara at the crease.
Jimmy Neesham, who isn't part of the New Zealand team in Southampton, feels the Kiwis will look to save themselves around 50 overs to take a hit at any total. He told Spark Sport:
"It varies, obviously, throughout the day. You know, you have got 10 wickets in hand so the shorter amount of time you'd have to survive if things [go] wrong is kind of the barrier you think about when chasing a total. I think, if they can bowl India out for a lead of somewhere between 170-200 in the second session, there's certainly some strokemakers in the New Zealand lineup that can score at 4 or 5 [runs] an over in Test cricket without too much trouble."
Jimmy Neesham added that New Zealand are more than capable of scoring five to six runs an over even in Tests:
"So, they'll be looking at chasing anything around that 170-200 mark in a session-and-a-half which would be around 50 overs and with all the ODI skills that come into the game these days, guys aren't frightened by a chase of 5 or 6 [runs] an over which they probably would have been in Test cricket in the past."
On Day 5, New Zealand took a 32-run lead in their first innings, courtesy of a dogged effort by skipper Kane Williamson (49 off 117 balls) and crucial contributions from Tim Southee (30 off 46) and Kyle Jamieson (21 off 16) in the lower order.
"He talks about it a lot" - Jimmy Neesham on Tim Southee's six-hitting record
Tim Southee's cameo included a couple of towering sixes, which took his career Test tally of maximums to 75. Only Brendon McCullum, with a record 107, and Chris Cairns, with 87, are ahead of him among Kiwi cricketers.
Jimmy Neesham quipped that the pacer is often effusive about his record and might even go past McCullum's tally:
"Yeah, he talks about it a lot. I think, maybe [Vettori's] wicket record is out of his reach so he'll scan around for something he can get. I think he's 30-odd sixes behind Brendon McCullum for most in the game. He certainly talks about it and he added another couple to the tally today."
Jimmy Neesham, who is currently plying his trade with Essex in England's T20 Blast, will next be seen in action against Middlesex on June 24.