Promising Auckland all-rounder Jimmy Neesham will play his cricket in Dunedin this summer.
The 20-year-old former New Zealand under-19 player has decided to transfer south to pursue more playing opportunities with the Otago squad.
Neesham, who was a contracted player for Auckland last season, made his first-class debut in March last year and has played five first-class games with limited success.
A big-hitting, left-hand batsman and a useful right-arm medium-pacer, he has also played a one-day game and two twenty/20 fixtures and is seen as a player with a bright future.
Otago coach Vaughn Johnson rates his new charge as an excellent prospect and says Neesham will add to the depth of the squad.
"He is coming to Dunedin with certainly no guarantees from us but he is young and he can really play," Johnson said.
"He has a little bit of X-factor and can whack the ball out of the park. When we do a bit of work with his bowling he is going to be a handy medium pacer as well.
"He has had an outstanding under-19 record, so it is just making sure he gets to be in a position to push for selection.
He is another player whom we can look to play, certainly in the twenty/20s and one-day games."
Neesham is expected to arrive in the city in late September and will begin training with the Otago squad from October onwards.
"In terms of what club he plays for, it will be very much up to him," Johnson said.
Neesham was part of Auckland's successful one-day and twenty/20 campaigns last season and is in the Aces 20-man squad for the Champions League qualifying tournament in India. He is not in the travelling squad of 15 but he may still be called upon.
"We're disappointed to lose a leading young player like Jimmy from our high performance programme," Auckland coach Paul Strang said in a press release.
"But we realise that a successful Aces squad will not be able to cater for the large number of quality players available. So we wish Jimmy all the best in trying to gain some invaluable first team experience elsewhere."
