Coming in to bat for New Zealand in the super-over of the World Cup final, Jimmy Neesham didn’t know his childhood coach was just waiting to see him play for the last time.
He went on to hit a 6 on the second ball, exactly the moment his coach David James Gordon breathed his last.
Presumably ill for some time, Gordon was being attended by nurses who also came in to watch the super over.
However, it was something else that needed attention. Gordon’s breathing started changing around the same time.
But he held on to see his disciple do his wonders, as his daughter Leonie narrates:
You know, I think Jimmy Neesham had just hit that six and he took his last breath. He has a quirky sense of humour and he was a real character and he would have loved the fact that he did that.
Jimmy also took to Twitter to talk about his dear coach and said ‘hope you were proud’.
Responding to Jimmy’s tribute for her father, Leonie said:
It was lovely, you know, he’s kept in touch with Jimmy and he is friends with Jimmy’s father. He always had a soft spot for Jimmy Neesham, he was very proud of him. He would definitely be following his career.