...he really hasn't.
He made 48 against Pakistan coming in at 3/47, and the 38 in the first innings here. They're literally the only knocks that can qualify as fighting out of difficult situations, and neither actually got New Zealand out of said difficult situation.
I mean, if 4/180 is a 'difficult situation' then he's made a couple of high 30s too, but that seems like a pretty standard Test match situation tbh. And all his Test match 50s have been downhill skiing or mostly irrelevant.
No. No. No, Dan. No. Shall I say no a few more times. Perhaps I will. Nein. Kao (according to Google that is Maori for no although they have a few ways of saying no so it is confusing).
I won't have a word said against his fighting characteristics. On this issue I won't compromise.
Here are his FIGHTING knocks
116 vs Bangers came in at 4 for 127 (Bangers are decent at home)
38 vs West Indies at 4-189
39 vs West Indies at 4-179 (when Narine was really getting it to turn on a helpful pitch)
48 vs Pakistan at 4-130
67 vs england at 4-61
38 vs Australia at 4-47
Anything less than 200 on the board is uphill skiing and to prove my point (and I just finished a scrap so let this pass Jimmy fans) Neesham couldn't perform any time he walked out with less than 200 on the board. The pressure is on and the game is very much in the balance with some score like 160-4
Where you can argue that it wasn't a fighting knock is that often the score was 38 or 39 or a score like that and he really needs to go on with it. But he did the initial hard work and survived the immediate test only to not convert.
It troubles me that he can't convert and I think a season of county criket batting in the top 4 for a some lesser team would do him wonders - there is a skill to tonning up. From a mindset and an innings pacing perspective. And as an aside it is a skill that Don Voges has down pact at the moment.