BY GLASGOW COSMIC EDITORIAL
Glasgow Cosmic sign Jimmy Neesham for the ETPL: 105 T20Is, 64 wickets, a 142 strike rate, and the 11 balls that knocked England out of a World Cup.
Dubai, November 2021. New Zealand need 57 from 24 to reach a T20 World Cup final. Jimmy Neesham walks in, faces 11 balls, and takes 23 off a single Chris Jordan over. England go home.
Glasgow Cosmic have signed the man who did that.
The New Zealand all-rounder joins the club for the inaugural European T20 Premier League season, announced 8 August 2026. He is the eighth international name on a Glasgow Cosmic squad that already had power at the top and pace at the back, and the first one who counts as both.
The signing at a glance
- 105 T20 internationals for New Zealand, batting at a strike rate of 142
- 64 T20I wickets, including a five-for of 5/22 against Pakistan
- Centuries in each of his first two Tests, the second-highest opening act any New Zealander has managed
- 34 runs off one ODI over against Sri Lanka, still a New Zealand record
- Turns 36 on 17 September, three days before the ETPL final
What Matthew Hayden said
Glasgow Cosmic's head coach and co-owner is not talking like a man managing expectations in year one.
"I think the squad has some serious weapons."
Hayden named Neesham alongside Jason Roy, Liam Livingstone, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, George Munsey, Richie Berrington, Matthew Cross, Paul van Meekeren and Oliver Davidson when he said it.
On the signing itself:
"Jimmy Neesham is a proven match-winner whose all-round ability and experience make him a valuable addition to Glasgow Cosmic for the inaugural ETPL season."
Rashid Ali Khan, team principal and CEO, went at it from the squad-building side:
"Jimmy brings great balance and energy to the squad. His presence will be a big boost for us this season."
Balance is the honest word for it. Six overseas players who bat, and a bowling attack that needs a fifth option, is a squad with a hole in the middle of it. Neesham is the shape of that hole.
Jimmy Neesham's stats, and what they actually say
T20 internationals: 105 matches, 1,105 runs at an average of 20.09, strike rate 142, best score 48 not out. 64 wickets, best figures 5/22.
ODIs: 76 matches, 1,495 runs at 28.20, top score 97 not out, 70 wickets, best of 5/27.
Tests: 12 matches, 709 runs at 33.76. That 137 not out against India on debut in February 2014 is still the highest score anyone has made on Test debut batting at number eight.
An average of 20 in T20Is looks like a problem until you read it next to the strike rate. Nobody averages 40 arriving at the 16th over. The job is to score 30 off 14 and hand the game to the bowlers, and the players who do that job well get a career of low averages and high strike rates. Neesham has 105 caps' worth.
The bowling is the part that changes a team sheet. 64 T20I wickets, and in March 2025 he became only the second New Zealander to take five in a T20I against Pakistan, with 5/22 off his four. That is not a part-timer buying an over. It is a fourth seamer who bats seven.
Two overs that explain the whole career
January 2019, Mount Maunganui. 34 runs off one over against Sri Lanka, five of them sixes. No New Zealand batter has scored more in a single ODI over before or since.
November 2021, Dubai. 27 not out from 11 balls in a T20 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand play the final instead of England.
Neither innings lasted long. Both settled a match. That is the specific thing Glasgow Cosmic have bought, and it comes bolted to the other version of the same player, the one caught at long-on in the 17th over for 4. Across ten league matches, you sign Neesham for the two nights he ends a game in three balls and you accept the rest.
He is not a nostalgia signing
Wire coverage of this signing has him at 33. He is 35, born 17 September 1990 in Auckland, and the more useful number is how recently he was picked.
Neesham was named in New Zealand's squad for the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. He captained New Zealand in T20Is for the first time on the South Africa tour in March 2026. His most recent international was against India on 8 March 2026, five months ago.
He then spent the English summer as Glamorgan's overseas signing in the 2026 Vitality Blast, brought in after they lost Fazalhaq Farooqi for the rest of the campaign, and won them a five-hour Somerset match off the last ball. Glamorgan's director of cricket called him a genuine three-dimensional cricketer able to change a game in a matter of balls.
The rest of the CV: Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL, Fortune Barishal and Rajshahi Warriors in the BPL, plus Kent, Derbyshire and Welsh Fire.
Where Neesham fits in the Glasgow Cosmic squad
The top order is settled around Scotland's two best batters, Richie Berrington and George Munsey, with Jason Roy signed three days later as the likeliest man to open and Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Philippe in the mix. Liam Livingstone takes the middle. Lungi Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj lead the attack.
Neesham bats six or seven with two to four overs attached, which is the most valuable seat on the bus in a competition where every overseas place is contested.
The venue argues for him too. Glasgow Cosmic play most of their league fixtures at Sportpark Westvliet in Voorburg, a compact ground with short straight boundaries, including both derbies against Edinburgh Castle Rockers. A left-hander whose best shot is straight and long, arriving with five overs left on a small field, is a captain's problem with no clean answer.
Glasgow Cosmic open the ETPL on 27 August 2026 against Edinburgh Castle Rockers. See the full fixture list → Join the Glasgow Cosmic ticket waitlist →
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Jimmy Neesham signed for Glasgow Cosmic?
Yes. Glasgow Cosmic announced the signing on 8 August 2026 for the inaugural ETPL season.
What are Jimmy Neesham's T20I stats?
105 T20 internationals for New Zealand, 1,105 runs at an average of 20.09 with a strike rate of 142, a best score of 48 not out, and 64 wickets with best figures of 5/22.
How old is Jimmy Neesham?
35. He was born on 17 September 1990 in Auckland, so he turns 36 during the ETPL, three days before the final. Several reports have him at 33, which is wrong.
Does Jimmy Neesham bowl?
Yes, right-arm medium-fast, and seriously. 64 T20I wickets and 70 in ODIs, with five-wicket hauls in both formats.
Who are the other Glasgow Cosmic players in the 2026 ETPL squad?
Jason Roy, Liam Livingstone, Josh Philippe, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Richie Berrington, George Munsey, Matthew Cross, Brad Currie, Oliver Davidson, Michael Leask, Chris McBride and Paul van Meekeren among them.
Who owns Glasgow Cosmic and who coaches the team?
Matthew Hayden is head coach and co-owner. Varun Aaron is bowling coach.
Where will Glasgow Cosmic play their home matches?
Nowhere in Scotland in season one. ETPL matches are split between Sportpark Westvliet in Voorburg and The Village at Malahide, Dublin.