According to former New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor, the retirement of paceman Neil Wagner was not entirely voluntary but rather a result of circumstances. Before the first Test between Australia and New Zealand, Wagner declared his retirement from international cricket. The decision came after a challenging conversation with coach Gary Stead, where it became apparent that Wagner was not part of New Zealand’s starting lineup for the upcoming series against Australia.

Wagner, aged 37, concluded his Test career ranked fifth on New Zealand’s list of top Test wicket-takers, having secured 260 dismissals in 64 matches. Taylor addressed Wagner’s finger-on-the-mouth celebration during his final Test appearance against South Africa in February, where he made explicit gestures during a team celebration.

Taylor said: “I think it all makes sense a little bit now. There is no sugarcoating it: I think it is a forced retirement. If you listen to Wagner’s press conference, he was retiring, but it was after this last Test match [against Australia]. So he did make himself available.”

“And to see that he is not selected… I think you do need to plan for the future, but a one-off Test against Australia in a must-win situation, I would not be looking much further than Neil Wagner. And I am sure the Australian batters are sleeping easy that he is not in the side.”

Despite being initially set to be released from the squad after the first Test, Wagner remained involved as a substitute fielder and carried drinks for his teammates. However, an injury to William O’Rourke opened the door for a potential recall during the second Test in Christchurch. The Kiwis ultimately opted for uncapped pacer Ben Sears over Wagner.

Taylor emphasized the significance of including Wagner for the crucial Test against arch-rivals Australia, despite the team’s need to plan for the future. The necessity to win against Australia warranted Wagner’s presence, according to Taylor.

Finch said: “I could not believe Neil Wagner was not in the XI. I just genuinely thought that he must have been out through a niggle. The success he’s had against Australia, particularly [against] Steven Smith over a period of time, you can guarantee that the last wicket partnership would not have happened if Wagner was there.”

“Because he would have intimidated Josh Hazlewood at least. He might have stopped Cameron Green from scoring as well. I thought that was a really interesting decision.”

During a press briefing, New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson downplayed any worries surrounding Wagner’s retirement.

Williamson said: “I do not think anybody is forced to retire. I think last week, he had a fantastic week and it was reflecting on what was an incredible career.”

“We had some amazing moments in the dressing room. It did not go perfectly. Obviously, an on-field performance would have helped but it was so much more than that. He has just done such incredible things for this team. And we have seen the skill that he has and the numbers that everybody sees but the heart and soul and effort that he has brought to the side and largely led through that for so long has been incredible. It was quite a special week for that reason and I think he had a really amazing time sharing that with the side.”

Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.

The post Kane Williamson Clarifies Ross Taylor’s Views On Neil Wagner’s ‘Forced’ Retirement appeared first on Cricfit.

New Zealand’s left-arm pacer, Neil Wagner, has decided to end his distinguished international career just before the home Test series against Australia, which kicks off on February 29.

The 37-year-old, who played a crucial role in New Zealand’s Test team over a 12-year span, will not feature in the starting XI for the first Test in Wellington. Instead, he will be released from the squad before the second game in Christchurch.

In his reflections on retirement, Wagner shared with reporters (as reported on New Zealand Cricket’s official website):

“It’s been an emotional week. It’s not easy to step away from something you’ve given so much to and got so much out of, but it’s now time for others to step up and take this team forward. I’ve enjoyed every single moment of playing Test cricket for the BLACKCAPS and am proud of everything we’ve been able to achieve as a team.”

He added:

“The friendships and bonds built over my career are what I’ll cherish the most and I want to thank everyone who’s played a part in where I am today. My teammates have always meant the world to me and all I’ve ever wanted to do was what was best for the team – I hope that’s the legacy I will leave.”

“I’d like to thank my wife Lana for her support in helping me be the man I am today and for helping bring our two little girls Olivia and Zahli, and our boy Josh into the world. I’m looking forward to one final week in camp and will be doing everything I can to help prepare and support the boys,” concluded Wagner.

Wagner concludes his Test career as the fifth-highest wicket-taker for New Zealand, securing 260 wickets at an average of 27.57 in 64 matches.

Renowned as one of the most resilient bowlers globally, this champion cricketer played a pivotal role in the Black Caps’ ascent to the top spot in Test cricket and their victory in the 2021 World Test Championship (WTC).

“Neil wholeheartedly contributed to the Black Caps, and his absence will be deeply felt”- Gary Stead

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead praised Neil Wagner for his outstanding Test career and the remarkable resilience, dynamism, and positive mindset he brought to the team. Since his debut in 2012, the left-arm pacer gained recognition for consistently bowling prolonged spells of short deliveries, even on less challenging pitches.

“Neil’s numbers are phenomenal, but I don’t think we can underestimate his contributions to the team when the chips were down and he found a way to create a wicket. His accuracy, execution and tenacity has been instrumental in many of our great Test victories and he will always be remembered for his lion-hearted nature.”

“Neil gave absolutely everything to the BLACKCAPS and we are certainly going to miss his energy and ‘never give in’ attitude,” Stead told Reporters, via the aforementioned source.

Test skipper Tim Southee commended Wagner as the quintessential team player, stating:

“You always knew what you were going to get with Neil and that was 100% commitment to the cause. He would do anything for the team and has earned nothing but respect and admiration within the dressing room. Personally, I’ve enjoyed a great relationship with Neil on and off the field and am sure our friendship will continue for years to come.”

Wagner’s retirement announcement indicates that his last international appearance was in the recent second Test against South Africa. In that match, he secured a wicket in each innings, contributing to New Zealand’s 2-0 series whitewash.

Following this, Australia and New Zealand are scheduled to engage in a two-Test series from February 29 to March 12, following New Zealand’s 0-3 whitewash in the T20Is.

Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.

The post New Zealand Fast Bowler Neil Wagner Announces His Retirement From International Cricket appeared first on Cricfit.

New Zealand named a strong squad for the two-match Test series against South Africa. These two matches will be part of the ICC 2023-25 Championship cycle which would be important for both teams. New Zealand and South Africa will be playing their 2^nd Test series in this cycle. Kiwis drew 1-1 with Bangladesh in Bangladesh while South Africa drew with India in 2 2-match Test series at home.

Star New Zealand batter Kane Williamson has been included. Rachin Ravindra will be a part of the squad for the series. The team will be led by experienced Tim Southee. The batting department looks strong with the likes of Will Young, Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Blundell, and Glenn Phillips. Will O Rourke will make his debut in the second Test at Hamilton.

Neil Wagner, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, and Kyle Jamieson would be pace bowling options for this series. Mitchell Santer would be a genuine spin bowling option while Rachin Ravindra would consist of a part-time option. It promises to be an exciting series as New Zealand would be looking to play attacking cricket against the inexperienced South African team that has 8 uncapped players for the Test series.

“The Proteas are a highly competitive team across formats and, having never won a Test series against them home or away, we expect two stern challenges,” he said. “It’s an honor to be involved in any Test match and I know the players are looking forward to the start of a big Test summer – in what is a big year of Test cricket home and away.”

It promises to be an exciting series as New Zealand will be chasing their maiden Test series win over South Africa. The challenges will be there but the experienced Kiwi side would be backing themselves to beat this weakened South African team led by Neil Brand.

New Zealand will play the first Test match at Bay Oval, Mount Manuagai from 4^th Feb onwards while the second fixture will be at Seddon Park, Hamilton from 13^th Feb onwards.

New Zealand Test squad for the series against South Africa

Devon Conway, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Tom Blundell (WK), Mitchell Santer, Neil Wagner, Tim Southee (C), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson.

Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.

The post New Zealand Announce Test Squad For The Series Against South Africa appeared first on Cricfit.

In order to help his team tie the series, New Zealand pacer Neil Wagner managed a tense victory over England on day five of the second Test in Wellington. The Kiwis won the see-saw battle between the two teams by a run as Basin Reserve went berserk when the left-arm seamer dismissed James Anderson.

The decisive moment occurred in the 75th over when Wagner sprinted in following a superb stint in which he had previously claimed three enormous wickets to hamper England’s run-chase. As Tom Blundell dove in to grab the catch, Anderson, the final man, gloved a short-pitched pitch to the leg side. With 1 off 31 balls, left-arm spinner Jack Leach maintained his perfect record at the opposite end.

England had a little advantage going into the final day because they had chased 258 and had ended the previous day at 48-1 in 11 overs. Harry Brook, who left for a golden duck after a terrible mix-up with Joe Root, was one of the four wickets the Kiwi bowlers captured in the opening hour. After a 121-run combination, Root and skipper Ben Stokes rekindled England’s hopes. The game was completely opened up by Wagner’s short pitches to Root and Stokes, which tipped the balance in New Zealand’s favour.

Here is how Neil Wagner dismissed James Anderson:

Incredible scenes at the Basin Reserve. A thrilling end to the 2nd Test in Wellington #NZvENG pic.twitter.com/tyG7laNtdP

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) February 28, 2023

England had regained composure despite being eight down thanks to a 36-run partnership between Ben Foakes and Leach. Tim Southee returned to bounce out Foakes when seven runs were needed, but Anderson brought his team closer with a boundary in the following over. Wagner, however, had other ideas. He also atoned for his 21-1-119-1 first-inning numbers.

Also, the one-run victory marked just the fourth time a team has triumphed while losing the follow-on. Stokes made the audacious decision to order the home team to bat once again after dismissing them for 209 and holding a 226-point lead. The second innings, however, saw significantly better results for New Zealand, which began with a 149-run opening stand between Tom Latham and Devon Conway.

Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.

The post [WATCH] Neil Wagner Dismisses James Anderson To Seal A 1 Run Victory Against England appeared first on Cricfit.

New Zealand and England are facing each other in the 3rd Test match at Headingley in Leeds. England has already taken a lead of 2-0 in the 3 match Test series. They would look to win the third test match to sweep the series. It would be a great start to the Test captaincy era of Ben Stokes.

Sam Billings made his place in the playing XI of England on fourth day of the third test match after Ben Foakes was ruled out of the third test match due to COVID -19. Billings came in as wicketkeeper replacement for Ben Foakes. Billings took a brilliant catch on the bowling off Jack Leach to dismiss Neil Wagner for a duck.

Neil Wagner came in to bat in the 102nd over of the innings after Southee was dismissed by Jack Leach. Wagner got a faint edge while trying to play a defensive shot against Leach. Sam Billings fumbled on the first attempt. But he kept his eyes on the ball and watched it till the end. 

Billings managed to keep the ball in between his knees and then later collected it safely with his gloves. All England teammates appreciated his presence of mind. This was the fourth wicket of Jack Leach. Later he dismissed Boult to grab a Fifer. Jack Leach took a Fifer in the first innings too.

One crazy catch!

Scorecard/clips: https://t.co/AIVHwaRwQv

#ENGvNZ @SamBillings pic.twitter.com/91U64cr51b

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 26, 2022

New Zealand give a target of 296 runs to England

New Zealand scored a total of 329 runs in the first innings with the help of a brilliant century from Darry Mitchell. It’s his third consecutive century in the series. In reply to it , England was struggling at 55 for 6. But Jonny Bairstow and Jimmy Overton formed a great partnership to take England to a dominating position.

Bairstow played an outstanding knock of 162 runs. While Overton missed his century by just 3 runs. England got a lead of 31 runs. New Zealand in their next innings scored 326 runs with the help of fifties from Blundell and Mitchell. Jack Leach took a 10 wicket haul in the match. England got a target of 296 runs to chase.

Get the latest cricket news here and like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.

The post [Watch]- Sam Billings Shows Presence Of Mind To Take A Brilliant Catch On Day 4 appeared first on Cricfit.

The World Test Championship winners New Zealand were made to toil hard for wickets on day 3 of the 1st Test against Bangladesh in Mount Maunganui. Resuming the day at 175/2, the visitors lost the wicket of Mahmudul Hasan Joy early in the day.

Bangladesh skipper Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim were going strong. They were at 192/4 when left-arm pacer Neil Wagner got the edge of Mominul which went straight to the hands of Tom Blundell when the batter was on 9 off 57 balls. However, after several replays, it was concluded that Wagner had overstepped and Haque survived.

Frustrated by the decision, Neil Wagner was furious and hurled abuses. His voice was caught in the stump mic where he could be seen using abusive language.

Watch the video here:

“That’s fucken bullshit” @TheACCnz pic.twitter.com/Zstd5IhF9w

— Joe Andrews (@Joe_Ludeman) January 2, 2022

Bangladesh secure crucial lead at the end of day 3

Bangladesh were struggling with 209/4 before skipper Mominul Haque and wicket-keeper batter Liton Das came to the rescue of the team and forged a crucial partnership of 158 Runs bringing Bangladeshi back into the game. Mominul Haque scored 88 runs which included 12 while Liton scored a fluent 86 runs which included 10 fours both missed out on well a deserved century.

The partnership was broken by Trent boult as he removed both the batters. Yasir Ali and Mehidy Hasan came to crease after the fall of 2 back-to-back wickets. They added 31 Runs for the 7 wickets partnership and ensured no further damage is done as Bangladeshi ended the day at 401/6.

The post Watch: Furious Neil Wagner Hurls Abuses After Umpire Gives No-Ball appeared first on Cricfit.

Virat Kohli and Co. lost to New Zealand in the World Test Championship final by 8 wickets. New Zealand was crowned as World Test Champions on 23rd June and was handed over the Test Mace. Although the game was interrupted a lot by rain as two days were completely washed out, still it was a thriller encounter between the top 2 Test sides. And New Zealand clinched the title on reserve day.

There were several eye-catchy moments in the game and one of the most talked about the moment which caught attention was Virat Kohli trying to silence the crowd. Kohli was seen pulling off the ‘shush’ celebration with a finger on his lips during the first innings of Blackcaps in the final at Ageas Bowl, Southampton.

Recently New Zealand left-arm-pacer Neil Wagner revealed the exact reason behind Virat Kohli’s ‘shush’ gesture on the field against the crowd. Neil Wagner said that the crowd was trying to get under the skin of captain Kohli in the summit clash. The crowd was singing ‘In your head Kohli, in your head Kohli, Kohli’. This didn’t go well with Indian skipper Kohli and he decided to do that celebration.

“Yes, the crowd started singing Zombie… They were singing, ‘In your head Kohli, in your head Kohli, Kohli.’ So they were trying to get under Kohli’s skin a little bit and Kohli kept giving it around, giving them the shush fingers. Then there’s a song going to Devon Conway sort of as a way of support, they started singing to him,” Neil Wagner revealed during a press conference organized by New Zealand cricket.

"When things don't come off, you can say that it was an error of judgment and that's acceptable in sport"

Virat Kohli backs Rishabh Pant's batting approach https://t.co/j9qWoCY4Yu pic.twitter.com/UjK0zZw1dm

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 26, 2021

Virat Kohli failed with the bat in the WTC final

The 32-year-old Kohli is among the top players in the world he loves to be on top on the field as well. Virat maintained high intensity throughout the clash.

However, Skipper Kohli was unable to contribute enough runs with the bat to team India. Virat was dismissed by Kyle Jamieson in both innings. Although He scored 44 and 13 runs in the first and second innings respectively.

Due to the failure of Virat Kohli and the team with the bat, the team was bundled at a score of 170. Team New Zealand was given 139 runs target to chase.

At the time of the chase, openers were unable to a brilliant job as they did in the first innings. Still, Kiwis completed the chase very easily and lifted the mace with the help of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor’s unbeaten stand of 96 runs for the third wicket.

Get the latest update on IPL 2021, England vs India 2021, and other cricket news. Like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.

The post WTC Final 2021: The Crowd Was Trying To Get Under The Skin Of Virat Kohli: Neil Wagner appeared first on Cricfit.

New Zealand’s red ball specialist Neil Wagner, during a virtual media interaction, said that winning the World Test Championship was the “pinnacle of the game” for him.

Wagner revealed to ESPNCricinfo that he never dreamed of being a part of a World Cup winning team, as he wasn’t a part of the New Zealand Limited overs team.

“No, that (playing white-ball cricket for New Zealand) was sort of a dream and a ship that had sailed to be fair – thinking about the white-ball World Cup in some sort of a way.”

The left arm quick explained how excited he was with the idea of a World Test Championship, and thought its something that is the way forward for test cricket.

“So, when the Test Championship came around and it was sort of explained to us a couple of years ago what it’s going to be like, I got quite excited by the idea. I thought it was quite special and I thought it was something that’s going to make Test cricket the way it is right now and make it quite exciting and add a bit more perspective to it.”

He also stated that it’s difficult to keep performing in every test for a period of two years and that is what makes the World Test Championship even more interesting.

Neil Wagner bagged three wickets over the course of the match. While describing the World Test Championship final, he said,

“To then get into a final, which was obviously rain-affected and still play our brand of cricket and be positive and to get there, personally for me, I can’t speak for everyone, this is the ultimate for me to win a Test Championship final though it’s the first one and probably hard to compare with others, it’s definitely the pinnacle of the game for me. And to win it against a quality team like India and the way we did and then to see what it has meant to everyone…”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Neil Wagner (@neilwagner13)

Neil Wagner was all praise for his New Zealand teammate and the Player-of-the-Match Kyle Jamieson, “Every game he’s getting better and better” said Wagner.

While speaking about his retirement, Wagner said that he believes he has plenty left in the tank to offer and age is just a number.

“Age is just a number for me personally and I feel potentially I haven’t got the five-wicket bags or performances behind my name that I wanted to, but still feel I’m contributing and playing a role, doing what I’m doing and that is just my role.”

He also added that the World Test Championship title has urged him to work harder on his game and his fitness, so as to keep performing and contributing his best for New Zealand Cricket.

The post WTC Final 2021: Winning The WTC Is ‘The Pinnacle Of The Game’ For Me, Says Neil Wagner appeared first on Cricfit.

Team New Zealand won World Test Championship prestigious mace after defeating India in the finals by eight wickets at Ageas Bowl, Southampton. Team Kiwis received a great welcome while returning to the home with the mace. The blackcaps registered their name on record books after winning the first-ever World Test Championship final, this was after 21 long years that New Zealand got hands on an ICC trophy. Talking about his way towards the home, left-arm pacer Neil Wagner stated that he never got greeted in customs as he did after returning home with the title of WTC winners.

Wagner told that people grabbed their passports and started asking about the WTC mace as soon as they reached New Zealand

“I don’t think I’ve ever walked into customs and got greeted the way we did. Everyone was just straight away [saying] congratulations, pretty happy, grabbed our passports and all they wanted to ask was, Where’s the mace, where’s the mace? Seeing even police officers stopping wanting to have a photo from a distance with it… it was nice to see the smiles on everyone’s faces,” stuff.co.nz quoted Wagner as saying.

Depicting the feelings of being crowned as the first-ever WTC winners Wagner said the feeling is surreal, Wagner helped kiwis in the final match with his contribution of two in the first innings and one wicket in the second innings.

“It’s still hard to put into words, to be fair. It still feels unreal. Everything is socially distanced, so you can’t even really shake their hands, and we had the mace, everyone wanted to take a photo, you can’t even do that, or we couldn’t pass it on. It’s a bit of a shame but it’s part of the world we live in at the moment. It was quite nice to see some Kiwis walk past and see what it means to them, albeit in the distance waving away, and saying congratulations, it means a lot to all the boys,” said Wagner.

Blackcaps left-arm pacer also told that the mace has been handed over to wicketkeeper-batsman BJ Watling for two weeks by the New Zealand players.

“We shared the mace around on the plane and throughout the whole night while celebrating, everybody had their turn to carry it around and make full use of that. And then on the plane, Ross Taylor got me to hand over the mace to BJ Watling, he’s going to take care of it for the next two weeks in isolation.

“I think it’s a fitting way for him to send his career off, it’s been an amazing career for us, the role he’s played for a number of years now, just the whole person he is and heart and soul of the team. He epitomises everything we are about as a team, the team-first attitude, being a guy that scraps and fights for everything, he’s led that all the way from the start. He’ll be sorely missed in this team,” he added.

Bj Watling retired from international cricket after playing his last match against India in the WTC final. He kept the wickets till the very end even after fracturing his finger during the match.

The post Custom Officers In New Zealand Grabbed Our Passports And Asked ‘Where’s The Mace?’: Neil Wagner appeared first on Cricfit.

Rishabh Pant was at his audacious best in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final. Playing in his inimitable style of ‘go hard or go home,’ the maverick keeper-batsman played a freakish reverse pull shot off a pacy Neil Wagner delivery.

Pant came to the crease after overnight batsmen Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara were dismissed by Kyle Jamieson. With the score reading 72/4 and India leading by just 40 runs, the pressure was being mounted by the Kiwi bowlers.

With the last recognized batsmen at the crease, the onus was on Rishabh Pant and Rahane to lead the way. However, India’s vice-captain fell to delivery down the leg-side and left Pant in a precarious situation. This didn’t deter the swashbuckling southpaw to play his natural game.

An intriguing battle with Wagner followed, with the Kiwi bowler, not the type to back down. Pant played a few hits and misses but eventually found the audacious reverse hit that he has developed in his armory during recent times. Although it resulted in just a single, he had made his intentions very clear.

https://twitter.com/doctor_chandler/status/1407678869587513346?s=20

New Zealand in the driver’s seat in the WTC fina

Team India was shot out for another low score in the second innings. After New Zealand gained a crucial first-innings lead of 32 courtesy of some useful contributions in the lower order, India, for the umpteenth time in the WTC, had their backs against the wall.

There was no miracle from the batting order this time around, however, as an abysmal performance in relatively easier batting conditions saw India slump to 170 all-out. New Zealand were set a target of 139 as a result and according to the latest developments at Southampton, New Zealand were cruising at 33/0.

Get the latest update on T20 World Cup and other cricket news. Like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.

The post WTC Final 2021: Watch – Rishabh Pant Plays His Trademark Reverse Hit Against Neil Wagner appeared first on Cricfit.

New Zealand pacer Neil Wagner, who’s typically known for dishing out high-effort nasty bouncers, produced one that knocked off the neck protection on Cheteshwar Pujara’s helmet in the second session of the ongoing World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand.

After Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bowl first, the openers for India provided a strong start. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, who’s playing his first Test in England, built a 50-run partnership that propelled India safely through the first hour of the day’s play.

However, a lapse in concentration following the drinks break saw New Zealand bounce back. Both the openers were sent back to the hut in the space of a couple of overs. Pujara, who came in at No.3, played a typical blockading innings and saw India safely through to lunch alongside skipper Kohli.

A brilliant start from @BCCI's openers
The perfect response from @BLACKCAPS' seamers
The class of Virat Kohli

Relive day two of the #WTC21 Final. #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/VJflwUmdeR

— ICC (@ICC) June 20, 2021

In the second session, Cheteshwar Pujara managed to get off the mark but was soon hammered on the helmet. Wagner, who was in his 7th over at the time, bowled a fiery bumper that was misjudged by Pujara. He was pretty late on the pull, and the ball zipped through to break the neck protection on the helmet.

Pujara was briefly fazed but following the mandatory concussion protocol, he declared that he was good to go. Wagner being the sportive person he is, checked in on Pujara and gave him a fist bump at the end.

https://twitter.com/pant_fc/status/1406239185879506952?s=20

Bad stay play spoilsport once again on day 2

Play on Day 2 has had a stop/start motion to it so far, because of the poor light in Southampton. After the latest development, India were 146/3 with skipper Virat Kohli sitting comfortably on 44* and his deputy Ajinkya Rahane, on 29*.

Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill got India off to a fine start after Kane Williamson asked them to bat first. But New Zealand bounced back with a cluster of wickets before Kohli and Rahane bailed India out before bad light stopped play.

The post WTC Final 2021: Watch – Neil Wagner Knocks Cheteshwar Pujara’s Helmet Protection Off With A Bumper appeared first on Cricfit.

New Zealand are currently touring England for a two-match Test series. The first test started already on Wednesday. This will be followed by the World Test Championship Final against India. The final is scheduled to be played from June 18-22 at the Ageas Rose Bowl, Southampton.

We’ve heard a lot about South Africa-born people playing for England Cricket Team. Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, and Jonathon Trott are the names that come to mind off the top of the head. But how many knew there were a few South Africans in the current Black Caps’ squad?

Here are three New Zealand cricketers in the current Test squad who were born in South Africa:

1) Devon Conway 

Devon Conway has already etched his name at the Lords’ honors board for the latest batting sensation for New Zealand. Something which even Tendulkar and Kallis failed to do. Conway managed to score a breath-taking double century on debut against England on Day 2 (June 03) of the first Test.

This talented 29-year-old was born in Johannesburg, Transvaal. He moved to New Zealand in 2017. In March 2020, the International Cricket Council confirmed that Conway would be eligible to play for New Zealand from 28 August 2020.

Ever since making his debut for the Kiwis, Conway hasn’t looked back. He has aggregated 834 runs in 15 international innings, at a staggering average of 75.82. Although Conway started late, he already looks set to have an impactful career playing for the Black Caps.

The post 3 New Zealand Cricketers In The Current Team Who Were Born In South Africa appeared first on Cricfit.

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead has confirmed that star fast bowler Neil Wagner has been ruled out of the second Test in Christchurch starting from January 3 (Sunday), against Pakistan, due to a toe injury. Meanwhile, the Kiwis are currently 1-0 up in the series which propelled them to the top of the ICC Test Rankings for the first time in history.

Incidentally, Neil Wagner bowled 49 overs in the first Test at Mount Maunganui with a broken toe and picked four wickets, striking at critical moments in the game, to help the hosts to a 101-run win over Pakistan. Showering heaps of praise on the left-arm fast bowler, head coach Gary Stead said that the former hasn’t travelled with the squad to treat his fractured feet.

Also Read: New Zealand Register No.1 Spot In ICC Test Rankings For The First Time In History

The post Neil Wagner Ruled Out Of The Pakistan Tests; Replacement Named appeared first on Cricfit.