Wellington, Apr 17 (IANS): New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham is known as much for his cricket as he is for his sense of humour. And with the world under lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Kiwi feels that humour is something that can keep one going even in the toughest time.

"I think it's probably right out there, the most important one. The sport we play and the career I have had, there's plenty of downs and you've got to see the bright, funny side of it otherwise you'll just go into a dark hole," Neesham said on 'Inside my bubble' podcast.

"I'm certainly used to tough situations and this is another one. All things pass eventually and we should keep smiling and laughing and we'll all be in a better place and good to go once we come out the other side."

New Zealand were playing Australia in an ODI series behind closed doors before returning home and Neesham says it all changed drastically over a few days.

"We were in Sydney for the ODI series and we joked about what was going on at the airport but the amount that it escalated to in the six-seven days was unbelievable. We played on Friday and on Saturday we were called for a meeting at two and by three we were on the bus to the airport. It was pretty quick and we were lucky to have reached home," Neesham said.