Ball-tampering would make Test cricket more interesting: Jimmy Neesham

New Zealand cricketer Jimmy Neesham, in a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, stated that Test cricket would become more interesting ‘if the bowlers are allowed to do whatever’, with the ball.

When asked what new law he would like to introduce in the game, he said that he would like to see what happens if there are no rules on ball-tampering.

“If you could just do whatever you wanted to the ball. That would probably make Test cricket more interesting. It could make more tedious sessions more exciting with the ball reversing more,” he said.

When asked which player he would pay to watch, Neesham opted for AB de Villiers saying that he was in the stands during the World Cup 2015 semi-final where his side beat South Africa to progress into the finals of the World Cup for the time ever.

Speaking about that experience, he said, “It was a crazy experience. I actually wasn’t going to go to the game. And then one of my friends who I knew through media work had a pass in a private area, so I could watch the match from a private room and not have to deal with the kerfuffle that goes on with that sort of situation. But it was a really special evening for New Zealand cricket.”

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I am the second funniest in Twitter behind Sehwag:

Virender Sehwag is known for his witty, funny and straight forward personality and is considered to be one of the active users on Twitter. Neesham said that a lot of Indians considers him as the second funniest.

“A lot of people tweet me saying Virender Sehwag is quite good, but a lot of his stuff I can’t understand because it’s not in English. A lot of Indians tell me I am the second funniest behind him,” he said.

Once Brendon McCullum said that he was really nervous when he walked out to bat in the 290s. But once he got to the pitch, Neesham looked around and said, “Gee, I didn’t think so many people would turn up to see me score a hundred.” McCullum said that he started to laugh and felt a lot more clear-headed when play began.

When queried about it, he said, “It was in the morning, during the warm-ups. Brendon was pretty fatigued and was sort of struggling to get up for the occasion. It is always nice to try and break the ice in a situation like that.”

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Explaining much about the superstitions McCullum had in his career, he said, “He did not like to change his grip in the middle of an innings. During the 300, when he batted for two and a half days, every time he ripped his grip he would wrap strapping tape around it.

A little bit of repair on the fly. And by the time he got to 290 on the fifth morning, his bat had probably more strapping tape than grip, so it was more difficult for him to get bat on the ball.”

“Brendon would never let you pay for anything. He always managed to find a way to sneak off in the middle of a meal and slip some notes to a waiter,” he added.

Neesham admitted that patience is one of the things he lacks as he struggles with it a little bit in Test cricket. “My natural game is being more aggressive. In the last few months, I have watched guys like David Warner, Virat Kohli, and Kane to a certain extent, who go out and still play quite aggressively in Test cricket. And now I realise you can play aggressively in the longer format of the game.”

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There is nothing better than a hook shot:

Hook shot is his favourite shot as he feels it as a tic-for-tac reply to bowlers bouncer. “When a fast bowler comes in and tries to dig it in short and a batsman just stands tall and hooks it away. Something like what Kevin Pietersen used to play is the best shot to watch.”

The 26-year old opinions that Ravichandran Ashwin will be a big challenge in home conditions. “He is a high-quality bowler, a top-ten bowler at the moment, and in his own conditions, he will be a big challenge. But we have got some pretty good players of spin in our top order. We have been talking about ways to combat him. But I certainly won’t be giving away my plans here.”