James Neesham's Warning: Why ILT20 Isn't a T20 World Cup Warm-Up

In 93 T20Is for New Zealand, Neesham has amassed 1010 runs and grabbed 56 wickets. “Look, I think everyone nowadays is playing cricket around the world pretty much year-round. So, you don't put too much emphasis on one tournament over another. I think India and Sri Lanka will be very different conditions from what they are over here.”

“So we'll have to prepare for that tournament as best we can when that moment comes. But I think you'd be foolish to treat the ILT20 as, I suppose, a warm-up series for the World Cup because they're obviously two very unique prospects,” Neesham told IANS in an exclusive conversation from Dubai.

Neesham, a long-time globetrotter in T20 leagues, said his first stint in the ILT20 so far has been a unique one. “It's obviously a unique tournament with the number of overseas players that are playing in each team. It's a high-quality product. I have come from Nepal, where there are only three or four overseas players in the team and six or seven locals.”

“Then you come here, and there are only two locals and nine overseas. So, it's a different makeup. It brings high-quality cricket to the table. I think we're going to continue to see some very high-quality players over the next month or so,” he said.

Seeing Dubai Capitals, the defending champions, get their first win of the ongoing competition has been immensely helpful. “Obviously, it's good to get our first win of the season. Rovman (Powell) and Coxsey (Jordan Cox) obviously batted incredibly well to get a good total, and the guys all bowled well as well. So, the mood in the camp is good. We've got a couple of good training days ahead of us before our next game is on Saturday.”

In the last few years, power-hitting has become a defining skill in modern T20 cricket batting, and Neesham stated that the scope of an anchor batter is now wiped out. “Obviously, the game has become more aggressive, I think, over the last few years. I think the role of an anchor batter sort of batting through in an innings is almost extinct now.”

“Most teams have set themselves up to be aggressive from the top, bat deep, and try to finish games off. So, it's an important part of the game to be able to clear the rope, and hopefully we can continue to do that over this series and bat other teams out of the game.”

Modern-day cricket has become significantly more demanding for fast bowlers, with workload and injury risks rising due to the overlap of international cricket and franchise leagues. Neesham opined that fast bowlers will soon be forced to choose between playing formats and urged the ICC to find a balance between scheduling international games and franchise leagues.

“I think fast bowlers basically just can't play all three formats. I don't think that can happen. So, guys are going to have to choose earlier than they would in the future. I think one day cricket is obviously the format that is going to fall by the wayside, I guess, with Test cricket being the most valuable format of the game and T20 being the biggest earner,” he added.

“I think that's pretty clear which way players are going to go. So hopefully the ICC and other members can figure out how to, I suppose, create the schedule in a way that allows cricketers to represent their country and then also maximise their earnings as well by playing in the different leagues.”

Neesham signed off by hoping he can manage his playing schedule fairly well. “Obviously, that'll be different for different individuals. So, for me, I'm 35 years old now, and I've been around the block a fair bit. So I'm pretty resilient when it comes to the physical demands of the game. So, hopefully that can continue for the next few years.”

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- IANS