Father: Mark Neesham, Mother: Debbie Neesham, Wife: Alex MacLeod-Smith, Brother: Michael Neesham, Sister: Sarah Neesham
James Neesham is a dynamic left-handed batting allrounder from New Zealand who has been a globetrotting T20 sensation for over a decade. The 35-year-old from Auckland made an unforgettable start to his Test career, scoring a century on debut against India in 2014 and following it with another in his very next match, becoming only the second player in history to achieve that feat. While his Test career was brief, Neesham has carved out an exceptional white-ball career, featuring in over 100 T20Is for New Zealand and amassing nearly 5,000 runs in T20 cricket worldwide with a strike rate of 140.31. His bowling has been equally impactful, with 286 T20 wickets, including a best of 5 for 22, making him a genuine allrounder in the shortest format. Known for his power-hitting and clever variations with the ball, Neesham has become one of the most sought-after players in franchise leagues across the globe, representing teams in the IPL, CPL, BBL, SA20, PSL, and the Vitality Blast, among many others.
| Batting & Fielding | ||||||||||||||
| Format | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Ct | St |
| Tests | 12 | 22 | 1 | 709 | 137* | 33.76 | 1069 | 66.32 | 2 | 4 | 88 | 11 | 12 | 0 |
| ODIs | 76 | 65 | 12 | 1495 | 97* | 28.20 | 1496 | 99.93 | 0 | 7 | 128 | 38 | 27 | 0 |
| T20Is | 105 | 77 | 22 | 1105 | 48* | 20.09 | 761 | 145.20 | 0 | 0 | 85 | 55 | 50 | 0 |
| FC | 69 | 115 | 10 | 3374 | 147 | 32.13 | 4719 | 71.49 | 5 | 18 | 451 | 52 | 71 | 0 |
| List A | 151 | 133 | 26 | 3699 | 128 | 34.57 | 3476 | 106.41 | 3 | 22 | 333 | 122 | 64 | 0 |
| T20s | 345 | 279 | 73 | 4734 | 97* | 22.98 | 3365 | 140.68 | 0 | 13 | 368 | 214 | 138 | 0 |
| Bowling | ||||||||||||||
| Format | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10w | |
| Tests | 12 | 21 | 1076 | 675 | 14 | 3/42 | 3/42 | 48.21 | 3.76 | 76.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| ODIs | 76 | 72 | 2448 | 2556 | 71 | 5/27 | 5/27 | 36.00 | 6.26 | 34.4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| T20Is | 105 | 75 | 1051 | 1611 | 64 | 5/22 | 5/22 | 25.17 | 9.19 | 16.4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| FC | 69 | 116 | 7257 | 4175 | 125 | 5/65 | 6/82 | 33.40 | 3.45 | 58.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| List A | 151 | 134 | 4985 | 4853 | 165 | 5/27 | 5/27 | 29.41 | 5.84 | 30.2 | 7 | 4 | 0 | |
| T20s | 345 | 289 | 4747 | 7171 | 283 | 5/22 | 5/22 | 25.33 | 9.06 | 16.7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | |
He is a left-handed batting allrounder who bowls right-arm medium-fast, known for his power-hitting in the middle order and clever variations with the ball.
He scored a century on debut against India in 2014 and followed it with another century in his next Test, becoming only the second player in history to achieve hundreds in his first two Test matches.
In 105 T20I matches, he has scored 1,105 runs at a strike rate of 145.20 and taken 64 wickets at an average of 25.17, with best figures of 5 for 22.
In 349 T20 appearances, he has scored 4,772 runs at an average of 22.94 with a strike rate of 140.31, and taken 286 wickets with a best of 5 for 22.
He has represented four IPL franchises: Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Mumbai Indians.
He made his T20I debut on December 21, 2012, his ODI debut on January 19, 2013, and his Test debut on February 14, 2014.
He was born on September 17, 1990, in Auckland, making him 35 years old.
In 76 ODIs, he has scored 1,495 runs at an average of 28.20 with a strike rate of 99.93, and taken 71 wickets with best figures of 5 for 27.
He has featured extensively in the IPL, CPL, BBL, SA20, PSL, Vitality Blast, ILT20, and the Hundred, among other leagues worldwide.
