Blackcaps all-rounder Jimmy Neesham faces a race against time to make next month's blockbuster home T20 series against Australia, after suffering a compound dislocation of his finger in the domestic Super Smash competition.
Off the last ball of Wellington Firebirds' game against Canterbury Kings, Cole McConchie smashed a yorker straight back at Neesham and into the bowlers' left hand, causing the dislocation and allowing the batsmen to run the single needed for a Canterbury victory.
The Firebirds star could see the funny side of the incident, with his teammates sticking it to him for dropping a near-impossible catch.
"I was trying to bowl a yorker at the death and Cole McConchie got it pretty nicely back at me, and I dropped the catch, which I've been reminded about a few times," Neesham tells Newshub.
"I copped it on the end of the finger and I looked down, and there was a bit of white there, which isn't good.
"I had a crack at putting it back in, although someone with a degree would be more appropriate at doing that, so I went down to the hospital and got it taken care of."
The big worry for Blackcaps fans is that the 30-year-old will be unavailable for the major series of the cricketing summer against Australia, but Neesham hopes he'll be good to go.
"Obviously, it's early days," he says. "It was only yesterday it happened.
"The Aussie series is 4-5 weeks away and the other positive is that it's on my left hand. Being a right-hand dominate cricketer, if we splinter it up and strap it up, and the experts are happy, then I'm more than happy to get on with it."
No compound dislocation makes pretty viewing, but Neesham insists the injury wasn't too painful.
"Definitely not the worse I've had," he says. "People that have dislocated fingers will tell you it's not the most painful injury.
"The visual factor is a little bit worse than the reality. It was pretty mangled and visually unappealing, but structurally it's pretty good.
"The tendons are all in place and there wasn't actually a fracture to the bones, so hopefully, after 2-3 weeks' rest, it all heals and I'll be back for the end of the Super Smash."
