Jimmy Neesham responded to a Pakistan fan who wasn't happy with him for skipping the Bangladesh and Pakistan tour. The fan claimed that the New Zealand all-rounder opted out of the tours to play in Indian Premier League (IPL) which offers more money.
The Kiwi cricketer didn't lose his cool and tried to clarify the actual reason for him not being part of the squad. Neesham said he has been getting a lot of similar messages on social media.
"I’m getting a lot of messages like this so I want to be crystal clear," Neesham wrote. He added that it was a New Zealand Cricket player welfare policy to not pick the first choice players for this tour.
Neesham, who's part of the Mumbai Indians squad for IPL 2021, had even requested to be a part of the tour, but his request was denied. He further added, "It is an NZ Cricket player welfare policy that first-choice players aren’t on this tour. I made a request for an exemption but that request was denied."
New Zealand, led by Tom Latham, will play a five-match T20I series starting on Wednesday (September 1). It will conclude on the 10th of September, with all matches played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
After this series, the Black Caps will move to Pakistan for 3 ODIs and five more T20 internationals in Rawalpindi and Lahore.
