James Neesham, the New Zealand allrounder, has agreed to join Northamptonshire for their T20 Blast campaign.
Neesham, whose heroics in the 2019 World Cup final at Lord's were instrumental in that contest's thrilling finish, gained a measure of revenge over England in the T20 World Cup in the UAE in November, where his 27 from 11 balls helped to eliminate Eoin Morgan's men in the semi-final. However, New Zealand went on to lose the final against Australia.
In 181 T20 fixtures - 38 of which have come for his country - Neesham has made 2,360 runs at a strike-rate of 136.81, and taken 158 wickets. He has previously featured for Derbyshire, Essex and Kent in county cricket, and last season turned out for Welsh Fire in the inaugural season of the Hundred.
"I'm excited to get going with Northamptonshire in 2022," Neesham said. "The club has a fantastic history in the Blast and I hope that we can recreate those successes from 2013 and 2016."
Josh Cobb, Northamptonshire's captain, played alongside Neesham last season, and is excited about the prospect of linking up with him again.
"Having spent time with him at the Welsh Fire in The Hundred last year I know what he can bring to us." Cobb said.
"He's a three-dimensional cricketer with genuine power and a high strike rate in the middle order, but it was his character that stood out to me. He's someone who wants to win and is very selfless, he's a real team-first kind of player.
"I'm looking forward to having him here as a leader, to pass on his experience and help drive us to be better."
Assuming New Zealand's international schedule remains clear, Neesham should be available for the duration of the Blast campaign in May, June and July - with the final at Edgbaston this year following closely on from the group stages to ensure that overseas players can take part. He will also be on hand for County Championship action in June.
"The opportunity to possibly play some first-class cricket for the county in Division One is also an exciting challenge." Neesham said. "I look forward to linking up with everyone at Wantage Road soon."
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