Blackcaps captain Kane Williamson has praised Jimmy Neesham for his bounce-back man-of-the-match performance against Afghanistan at the Cricket World Cup in Taunton.
With Afghanistan cruising at 66/0, Neesham came into the bowling attack and tore through their batting line-up, taking five wickets as the Asian side were eventually bowled out for 172.
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Neesham finished the match with career-best figures of 5/31, a massive turnaround from his performance with the ball in New Zealand's opening two games where he'd gone at seven-an-over against Sri Lanka and 12-an-over against Bangladesh.
The Blackcaps ended up chasing down the total set by Afghanistan to claim a seven-wicket win with 107 balls remaining.
"I wish I could claim some of the credit," said Williamson. "Jimmy bowled beautifully. It was a different surface that perhaps suited him a little bit more - someone who runs in and hits the wicket hard.
"He bowled some beautiful deliveries and broke a crucial partnership at the top. He deserves all the credit he'll get for a five-for, which is outstanding.
"We know how talented Afghanistan are and I know it first-hand from guys I've played with. They're very savvy, very cagey in how they operate and so it was a really good performance from us."
Neesham joins an illustrious list of New Zealand players who have claimed a five-wicket haul in a World Cup match including Sir Richard Hadlee (1983), Shane Bond (2003), Trent Boult and Tim Southee (2015).
New Zealand now have India to play next at Trent Bridge - by far their most daunting assignment yet.
"We know India will be a tough test, but our guys are looking forward to the challenge," added Williamson.
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