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Black Caps speedy Neil Wagner has been cleared to continue bowling in the first Test against Pakistan after breaking the fourth toe on his right foot, provided he can tolerate the pain.
Wagner was hit on the foot by the left arm of Pakistan Shaheen Shah Afridi while batting on the second day at Bay Oval on Mount Maunganui and received treatment from physio Tommy Simsek, but he went ahead and was the last man out, by 19.
Phil Walter / Getty Images
New Zealand’s Neil Wagner hits on the second day of Test 1 against Pakistan. He has a broken toe, but he will continue to play.
He was not with his teammates when they came out to defend their 431 total, but after sending some deliveries into the nets, he was allowed to retake the field, where he threw three overs before stumps.
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On Monday morning, a Black Caps spokesperson said: “An X-ray has confirmed a nondisplaced fracture of Neil Wagner’s fourth toe, but a doctor has cleared him to play as long as he can tolerate pain.
Wagner conceded three runs of his four overs and Pakistan went 30-1 on the stumps on the second day, with his sewing partner Kyle Jamieson picking up the only ground that fell.
Wagner, 34, is a vital part of the Black Caps’ four-point attack alongside Jamieson, Trent Boult and Tim Southee.
He’s regularly asked to do the hard yards on the old ball and often serves as a plan B with a short ball blitz when plan A, get the ball spinning, is not working.
The third day’s game was scheduled to start at 11 a.m. M., with Black Caps chasing a victory to keep alive his hopes of playing in the World Test Championship final next June.
