Christchurch, March 25 – Stand-in captain Jimmy Neesham admitted that New Zealand’s lackluster performances in the final matches cost them the T20I series against the South African cricket team, after the hosts lost by 33 runs in the deciding match at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Wednesday.
Chasing a target of 188, New Zealand could only manage 154/8 despite a brief resurgence in the middle overs, as South Africa won the five-match series 3-2.
Reflecting on the campaign, Neesham said the team had done well to recover after an early setback but failed to maintain momentum towards the end. “It was obviously a tough start, and then we fought back in games two and three to go 2-1 up. But unfortunately, a couple of subpar performances at the end of the series were disappointing,” he said.
The all-rounder also highlighted the demanding international schedule, with New Zealand players featuring across formats since October. “It’s been a long summer. It started right from October. I’m looking forward to my six days at home since then. That’s just the nature of scheduling these days—there’s cricket on all year round,” he added.
With several key players unavailable, Neesham emphasized the positives of giving opportunities to younger players during the series. “It was a good opportunity for some players to gain experience, and we saw some good performances, some tough lessons, and some good moments. I think everyone who came in will take something away that will help them improve,” he said.
Assessing the areas of concern, Neesham pointed out that fielding errors, particularly in the series finale, hurt the team. “I thought we batted and bowled okay, but the fielding was probably a little bit below par, especially tonight. Playing under lights is never easy, but that’s an area we can improve,” he noted.
He also credited South Africa’s bowling unit for challenging New Zealand’s batters. “They brought a quality bowling attack. It gave a few of our batters a good taste of what the next level is like,” Neesham concluded.