In Bizarre Drug Check, US Police Drill Holes Into Cricketer's Bat
New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham was in for a shock as the United States police drilled multiple holes into a bat to check for hidden drugs while he was on his way to West Indies to participate in the Caribbean Premier League.
ÂÂ
Cricket has taken New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham and his gear all round the world but his recent foray into the United States of America and his encounter with the local authorities there could send shivers down the spines of several others of his ilk.
The 23-year-old Neesham, who was en route the West Indies to play for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League, had a bat drilled by the United States Police, who were checking cricketers' gear for hidden drugs. Bats in modern day cricket are obviously expensive, but they are more treasured because each willow is almost always custom-made with specific instructions from the batsmen concerned. That, however, was of no significance to the US authorities who made several in-roads into what they suspected to be a tool for smuggling drugs.
A clearly bemused Neesham tweeted a picture of a bat, damaged with drills on the thick edge.
Imagine if your cricket gear went through America and they drilled holes in your bat to look for drugs... pic.twitter.com/oaxAFJAvSK
- Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) August 8, 2014
Neesham however, shared on twitter, as to how he actually managed to 'dodged a bullet.'
Just to clarify again, the bat belongs to Lendl Simmons. Pretty happy I managed to dodge that bullet!
- Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) August 8, 2014
Neesham, who made his debut against India in February this year, scored a match-saving hundred against India on Test debut in February this year, before slamming another ton in his next Test, against the West Indies in Kingston. The left-handed lower-order batsman, who also bowls medium-pace, has two half-centuries in the longest format of the game. Neesham, already renowned for his hard-hitting skills, was employed by the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League 2014.