OTD | New Zealand’s Neil Wagner was born in 1986

The recently retired fast bowler from Neil Wagner has turned 38 today. He is the personification of the never-say-die attitude. Regardless of the match situation, Wagner was one bowler on whom his captain could rely to turn the momentum. 

He remained the most trusted Test bowler for New Zealand until his retirement. Neil Wagner is one the rare cricketers in the modern generation who played only Test cricket for his country. He made his debut for New Zealand in 2012 when he played his first Test match against West Indies on an away tour. 

Since then, the left-arm pacer has not looked back. There have been ups and downs in his Test career but every time he is down, makes a roaring comeback. He has been a regular part of the Kiwi Test squad and one of their consistent bowlers in the longest format of the game. 

Immaculate Control

Many rate him as a bowler who has limited abilities but no one would debate the fact that he is a master at using his skills to perfection. In the later part of his Test career, Wagner adopted the lethal short ball ploy. His ability to bowl accurate short balls and well-directed bouncers became one of the most effective wicket-taking strategies for the New Zealand captain. 

Neil Wagner played an important part in guiding New Zealand to a major title in almost two decades. The Blackcaps won the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) by defeating India in the final. Wagner was a crucial piece of the jigsaw for New Zealand in that campaign. In his decade-long Test career, the 37-year-old represented New Zealand 64 times. 

He finished his international career with 260 wickets to his name at an average of 27.57. Neil Wagner recently put an exclamation mark on his international career in an emotional press conference just before the recently concluded Test series between Australia and New Zealand. He will be remembered as one of the toughest cricketers to have ever played this game.