James Neesham earns CPL deal

James Neesham’s excellent form in the West Indies has been met with immediate reward.

The powerful allrounder has replaced Corey Anderson as the Guyana Amazon Warriors’ star import in the Caribbean Premier League, which begins at the conclusion of the limited overs portion of the current West Indies tour.

Neesham played a starring role in New Zealand’s 2-1 test series win over the West Indies, scoring 278 runs, including a century in the first test and two half-centuries in the third and final test. His medium-pace was not quite so effective, but he did pick up three wickets in the series from just 32 overs.

Neesham will join compatriots Daniel Vettori (Jamaica Tallahwas), who replaced Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralitharan, and Ross Taylor (Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel) in the tournament, which begins on July 12 NZT.

It is understood that Anderson was refused clearance to play in the CPL by New Zealand Cricket, with potential concerns over how much cricket the injury prone allrounder’s body can handle ahead of the World Cup. He is set to play the Champions League T20 in September for the Mumbai Indians.

Neesham’s contract with Guyana is understood to be around US$100,000.