Jimmy Neesham declines New Zealand Cricket's central contract to fulfill prior T20 League commitments

Another cricketer from New Zealand has decided not to sign a central contract. The Kiwi allrounder Jimmy Neesham has declined a contract offer from New Zealand cricket, citing prior commitments with T20 leagues around the world.

After Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme were released from the list of contracted players last month, Neesham was offered a contract. Neesham, like Boult, would be considered for selection for New Zealand if he is available. Boult also appeared in the most recent series against Australia.

Neesham represents Rajasthan in the Indian T20 League, though he does not see much action. On Thursday, in response to a fan's question about why he doesn't perform as well in the Indian T20 League as he does for New Zealand, he tweeted, "I probably wouldn’t perform well in international cricket either if I played one game a year."

Here is his tweet

I probably wouldn’t perform well in international cricket either if I played one game a year 😂 https://t.co/Yf8DELsYur

— Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) September 15, 2022

Neesham has previously battled depression and was on the verge of quitting the game. "He was struggling to cope, and it had all got a bit too much for him. The stress of the sport and combined with his personal well-being had grown too severe. He felt like giving up the game would be the best way out," Heath Mills, CE of New Zealand Cricket, had told Indian Express.

"I told him why don’t you just step away from the game for a while? A short break. This isn’t the time to take any drastic decisions. Come back after a few weeks, and then let’s see how we feel in 4 to 5 weeks. We were able to do that," he added.

Finn Allen and Blair Tickner get their first central contracts

Following Neesham's refusal, Finn Allen, an opening batter with 6 T20s, and Blair Tickner, a bowler with 6 ODIS and 11 T20s, were given their first central contracts. "He’s a bowler who just keeps improving and we’ve been particularly impressed with his red-ball development, which saw him in the recent squads for the England and South Africa tests. He knows the environment, understands his role, and bowls with good pace and aggression," the head coach Gary Stead said.

"Finn clearly has huge talent and potential. He’s shown he’s up to the international level in his limited opportunities to date," he added.