Neesham becomes the latest unlikely hero

• New Zealand all-rounder takes career-best figures against Afghanistan
• Black Caps become first team to three wins at the World Cup

At World Cups, unlikely heroes have a tendency to emerge.

Just ask Nathan Coulter-Nile – who clobbered a crucial, if unexpected, 92 in Australia’s victory over West Indies earlier this week.

Or go back and see the feats of James Faulkner in 2015, Mike Veletta in 1987, Balwinder Singh Sandhu in 1983 or Collis King in 1979.

At the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, the eventual champions will play 11 matches, which makes it almost a certainty that there will be an opportunity, perhaps even a necessity, for unsung squad members to shine in addition to the more household names.

New Zealand certainly aren’t short of those household names.

They boast one of the most fearsome opening bowling tandems in the tournament – Matt Henry, who took seven wickets in first two matches of this World Cup, and the second-ranked ODI bowler in the world Trent Boult.

Not to mention a man who can reach 145kph in Lockie Ferguson, a premier spinner in Mitchell Santner and the 496 international wickets of Tim Southee currently recovering from a minor calf injury.

But on a day where Henry and Boult weren’t quite at their brilliant best – combining for figures of none from 84 from 18 overs – it required someone else to lead the bowling charge against Afghanistan.

Step forward Jimmy Neesham.

It‘s fair to say there were few signs that Neesham was about to enjoy a career-best day in any form of professional cricket, ahead of the brilliant display that saw him take five for 31 in Taunton.

The likable 28-year-old had notched one for 21, but gone at seven an over, in the Black Caps’ opening victory over Sri Lanka before being carted for 24 off just two overs by Bangladesh.

He had never before claimed more than four wickets in an international innings and his best List A figures of five for 44 came way back in the 2011/12 season for domestic side Otago Volts.

Yet Neesham bowled superbly on a green Taunton deck to earn his maiden ODI five-for by getting a quintet of Afghanistan’s top seven out caught, three of them by wicket-keeper Tom Latham.

This certainly wasn’t a case of padding a haul by dismissing tail-enders, as the all-rounder took five of the first six wickets – tearing the heart out of the Afghan batting order, as they eventually fell to 172 all out

“I went back to doing what I do well – just hitting the deck as hard as possible,” explained Neesham.

And it worked as a treat. The hint of swing he got only adding to the Afghanistan batsmen’s struggles against the quicks – struggles evidenced by the fact that all 41 overs they faced were from seamers.

It wasn’t a complete one-man show, as fellow all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme bowled effectively and economically to take one for 14, while Ferguson started with three maidens in four overs and then polished off the tail for four for 37.

Then, unlike against Bangladesh when they made heavy weather of chasing down a gettable total, the batsmen ensured there were no slip-ups as they sealed a seven-wicketvictory with more than 17overs to spare.

But it was Neesham’s day, as the affable Aucklander demonstrated just how quickly fortunes can change – going from feeling his spot in the starting XI was in question following two sub-par performances, to the toast of the town.

It is vindication for Neesham, who narrowly missed the cut four years ago as New Zealand reached the final. Funnily enough, the man who beat him to the final place in the squad then was Grant Elliott, an all-rounder who had spent a year out of the side only to become another unsung hero, producing the match-winning innings in the semi-final.

Victory sees New Zealand become the first side to reach three wins in this World Cup and after making the final four years ago, the strength in depth they have already shown this time out means they will be confident of at least reaching the knockout stages once again.

And with a potential eight more games still to play, there’s plenty of time of time for other unlikely Black Cap heroes to emerge and replicate Neesham.