Neil Wagner (born 13 March 1986) is a New Zealand former Test cricketer who played for New Zealand and Northern Districts cricket teams. He played for Northerns until 2007/08 and Otago between 2008 and 2018. Wagner was a member of the New Zealand team that won the 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship. On 27 February 2024, he announced his retirement from international cricket.[2][3][4]
 Wagner playing for Essex in 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Neil Wagner | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 13 March 1986[1] Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Left-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Left-arm fast-medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 256) | 25 July 2012 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 13 February 2024 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005/06–2007/08 | Northerns | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006/07–2007/08 | Titans | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008/09–2017/18 | Otago | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Northamptonshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Lancashire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Essex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018/19–present | Northern Districts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Somerset | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Durham | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 19 August 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early career
editWagner was born at Pretoria and attended Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool as a high school student where he played for the 1st team alongside AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis.[5] He is a left-handed batsman and left-arm medium-fast bowler who toured Zimbabwe and Bangladesh with South African Academy sides and was twelfth man in two Test matches for South Africa. In 2008, he moved to New Zealand to pursue a career playing Test cricket. In June 2009, he was awarded a place in the New Zealand Emerging Players team under Peter Fulton, and eventually made his test debut for New Zealand against the West Indies in 2012. He played 64 Test matches for New Zealand.
World record
editOn 6 April 2011, Wagner took four wickets in four balls against Wellington when he dismissed Stewart Rhodes, Joe Austin-Smellie, Jeetan Patel and Ili Tugaga. He then took the wicket of Mark Gillespie with the sixth ball of the same over: five wickets in one 6-ball over, the first time this has been achieved in first-class cricket. His bowling figures for the innings were 6/36, his personal best at that time.[6][7][8]
International career
editWagner was born to South African parents but he has New Zealand heritage through his grandmother.[citation needed]
After an uneven start to his Test career against the West Indies and his birth country, South Africa, Wagner established himself as a reliable third seamer for New Zealand side during their 2013 home and away series against England, taking 19 wickets in five Tests. He produced consistent performances over the next two years, including a man-of-the-match eight-wicket haul against India at Eden Park. Despite that, he struggled to maintain his place in the side and was not selected for either of New Zealand's two Tests against England in 2015.
Wagner returned to the side during the Sri Lankan tour of New Zealand in late 2015. He produced a series of strong performances, and New Zealand comfortably won the series. Before the Test, skipper Brendon McCullum described Wagner as his "workhorse".[9]
Those performances earned him another call-up for the second Test against Australia.[10] Wagner bowled well, taking seven wickets including six in the first innings. Since then, Wagner has been a regular starter in the New Zealand Test side.[citation needed]
Wagner continued his fine form during New Zealand's tour of Zimbabwe in 2016, and won the player of the series award. He took 11 wickets in the two-match series, including a five-wicket haul in the first Test.[11] New Zealand then toured Wagner's homeland of South Africa.[12] In the second Test, although New Zealand were soundly beaten, Wagner again led the attack, taking his fourth five-wicket bag.[13]
In April 2017, Wagner was named in New Zealand's One Day International (ODI) squad for the 2017 Ireland Tri-Nation Series.[14]
On 1 December 2017, Wagner became the opening partner to Trent Boult, because Tim Southee was injured, and claimed his best figures of 7/39, which was also a New Zealand record, to claim 7/39 within a day, and within two sessions of play.[15]
In May 2018, he was one of twenty players to be awarded a new contract for the 2018–19 season by New Zealand Cricket.[16] In November 2018, in the second match against Pakistan, he took his 150th Test wicket.[17] In December 2019, in the second Test against Australia, Wagner took his 200th Test wicket, and finished the 2019/20 home season ranked as the number two Test bowler in the International Cricket Council's world rankings.[18]
In December 2020, in the second match against the West Indies, Wagner played in his 50th Test.[19]
In May 2021, Wagner was named in New Zealand's squad for the Test series against England and the World Test Championship final against India.[20] He played in all three Tests, finishing the tour with 10 wickets, including three in New Zealand's World Test Championship victory.
References
edit- ^ Lynch, Steven (2014). The Wisden Guide to International Cricket 2014: The Definitive Player-by-Player Guide. A&C Black. p. 193. ISBN 978-1-4081-9473-7. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- ^ "New Zealand quick announces surprise retirement". International Cricket Council. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ "Neil Wagner retires from international cricket". ESPNcricinfo. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ "Neil Wagner retires from international cricket". New Zealand Cricket. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ "AB devilliers, Faf du Plessis and Neil Wagner attended the same school ( Afrikaanse Hoer Seunskool ) They were teammates for their school cricket team".
- ^ "Otago v Wellington at Queenstown, Apr 4–6, 2011 | Cricket Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
- ^ "Fulton to lead New Zealand Emerging Players". ESPNcricinfo. 12 June 2009. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
- ^ World record wicket haul – five in six balls – Neil Wagner on YouTube
- ^ "When workhorse Wagner brought down the barn door". ESPNcricinfo. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ "Wagner called in as cover for injured Southee". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ "Zimbabwe on the back foot before a ball bowled". ESPNcricinfo. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ "Homecoming for 'fully converted Kiwi' Neil Wagner". ESPNcricinfo. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ "New Zealand tour of South Africa, 2nd Test: South Africa v New Zealand at Centurion, Aug 27–31, 2016". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ "Latham to lead NZ in Ireland, uncapped Rance in squad". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
- ^ "NZ 85/2 (37.0 ov, LRPL Taylor 12*, JA Raval 29*, ST Gabriel 0/22) - Live | Match Summary | ESPNCricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
- ^ "Todd Astle bags his first New Zealand contract". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- ^ "Tea Report: Neil Wagner completes 150 wickets after Pakistan take lead". Cricket Country. 17 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
- ^ "Relentless Wagner races to 200 Test wickets". Cricket Australia. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- ^ "Tom Latham leads as New Zealand focus on climbing up Test Championship table". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
- ^ "India vs New Zealand WTC final : India vs New Zealand World Test Championship final: Squads, schedule, venue, telecast - All you need to know". www.timesnownews.com. Retrieved 15 May 2021.