New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham was involved in a bizarre incident during a T20 tournament in South Africa on January 25. Neesham dropped regulation catch of England batter Joe Root, who has been in great form in the tournament so far. The incident happened on the final delivery of the fifth over of the first innings, after Root tried to pull Australia pacer Jason Behrendorff over deep square leg. However, Root did not get the desired elevation as Neesham, who was deployed at midwicket, ran towards his right and pouched the ball.
However, in what as a rare sight, the ball popped out his hand after his hand hit his thigh. The incident left Neesham's teammates and the commentators in complete disbelief. A video of the incident has been circulating on social media.
Commentator Pommie Mbangwa also likened the situation to the one involving former South Africa batter Herschelle Gibbs during the 1999 ODI World Cup.
"He's done a Herschelle Gibbs," Mbangwa was heard as saying on air.
In 1999, Gibbs dropped Steve Waugh's catch during a Super Six match between Australia and South Africa in Leeds.
While Gibbs took the catch but celebrated prematurely, it was counted as dropped.
It proved to be costly mistake as Waugh went on to score 120 runs, helping Australia beat South Africa.
Similarly, after Neesham's drop, Root smashed 78 off 56 balls, hitting with eight fours and two sixes.
Meanwhile, Neesham last played for New Zealand in a T20I in April 2024 against Pakistan.
The emergence of players like Rachin Ravindra, Mark Chapman and Michael Bracewell has seen him lose his place in the XI.