Neesham Reflects on Thriller, Wishes 2019 Final Had Extra Super Overs

New Zealand allrounder, James Neesham, believes that adding more Super Overs after a tie is the best way to find a real winner. He wished the same approach could have been used in the 2019 World Cup Final, in which England won a thrilling contest after a tied Super Over.

Neesham gave the remarks after watching the recent South Africa vs Afghanistan clash in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, which included two Super Overs. South Africa eventually won that match, however, the fightback shown by Afghanistan until the last ball of the contest impressed everyone.

"It's good now that you had the opportunity to play a second Super Over when the first one's a tie," said James Neesham after the match.

He further applauded the competitiveness of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, saying that tournaments like this always produce close games. He hopes the ongoing mega event will provide more games like this in the coming days, so that the interest of the fans in cricket matches remains intact till the end.  

"The reason these tournaments are so good is crunch moments like that. We've seen multiple games in this tournament including England-Nepal, games that go right down to the wire and they have real ramifications for the rest of the tournament.” said James Neesham.

"It [Afghanistan-South Africa] was obviously a great watch the other night. We were travelling here [Ahmedabad], waiting to leave for the airport, and everyone was around the TV in the hotel, delaying the bus, so it was pretty cool to watch. Hopefully there are some more good games like that in the rest of the tournament." added James Neesham.

New Zealand are currently placed second in the Group D points table after losing to South Africa. They won the first two games against Afghanistan and UAE in a one-sided contest, however, the match against the Proteas disrupted all their plans. James Neesham believes the team will bounce back strongly in the next game against Canada, as they have the potential to reach the Super Eights stage in a convincing fashion.