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When Neil Wagner returned to No. 2 in the world test bowling rankings this week, a spot he first held a year ago, he was tagged in a lighthearted Instagram post from Stuart Broad.
“Take it easy @ neilwagner13” wrote the sailor from England, after being moved to number 3.
Wagner laughed and, as he admitted to a gray and misty Basin reservation on Wednesday, two days before his 50th test, he was still unsure how to react to his elevated position behind Australian Pat Cummins.
“Yes, a difficult one. It’s nice, a reflection of having been in good form lately and contributing to some performances, but it also feels a bit unreal, ”Wagner said.
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“In the world there are many quality bowlers who are better than me and who are lower. Some of those guys are playing all three of them and they are very skilled and do a lot better than me.
“Hopefully I can continue to contribute and help New Zealand win games, that’s the main thing for me.”
Wagner will turn 35 in March, having made his test debut in the Caribbean eight years ago. A schoolmate of AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis at the famous Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) in Pretoria, Wagner played first-class cricket in South Africa before settling in New Zealand in 2008.
Kai Schwoerer / Getty Images
The Black Caps surround Neil Wagner as he attacks again during the first test at Seddon Park.
As the ratings suggest, the left arm improves with age. Wagner’s match streak of 6-99 in the innings and a 134-run first Test win over the West Indies in Hamilton secured a move past Broad to No. 2, and the numbers don’t lie.
In the past two years, Wagner caught 60 proving grounds at 20.8, including five five-pitch sets and a heartwarming battle with Australia’s Steve Smith treadmill last summer. In the same period, Cummins scored 77 at 20.1 and Broad 81 at 20.3, showing the level of excellence required to be ranked among the best fast bowlers.
Wagner’s secret, says Black Caps bowling coach Shane Jurgensen, is not rocket science: to work hard at the nets and the gym to prepare for one of the most physically demanding roles in sport.
“That is the key for all of our bowlers who have been on the test team for a while: the work they do off the field with their physical condition. Neil made the adjustment eight years ago, that change in terms of getting really fit and strong, ”Jurgensen said.
“He will throw 8-10 overs at the nets, like he did with me at Bay Oval over the winter, and the next minute he’s sprinting and the next minute he’s in the gym. Then when he got injured, he was playing golf, working his way back.
“His attitude is contagious, which he does for the team in terms of wanting to bowling all the time and constantly improving his game. You saw in the last test you got windows in the way that Trent [Boult] could, and has always been competing for the ability to have a complete game. “
Mike Owen / Getty Images
Neil Wagner celebrates after bidding farewell to Australian star Steve Smith in Tasmania.
In fact, Wagner emphasized that he was not a one-trick pony relying on relentless body-line tactics, churning out some lethal inswingers for West Indian hitters that Boult would have been proud of.
As a unit, New Zealand bowlers continue to set the standard for their team, with Tim Southee fourth in the world test rankings (65 wickets at 22.4 the last two years), and Boult 12th (47 wickets at 26.1 in the same period).
Add in new sensation Kyle Jamieson and his inswingers, pronounced rebound and aggression, and the West Indies hitters have their gloves full trying to somehow level the series at Basin Reserve, starting on Friday.
Wagner will get his 50th cap Thursday night and there may even be a few misted eyes in the house.
“It’s quite surreal, it gives me goose bumps when you mention it. I’m trying not to think about it. Very emotional, all the sacrifices and everything you have done to be here and finally play 50 test matches. It means a lot. I never thought I would get there. It takes a lot of work and a very special feeling every time you put that black cap on your head.
“I remember when I first came into the group and there were guys who had played 50 events and I thought ‘wow, I wish I could get closer to that. I’m very happy and it’s good to have my family here to share that moment with me. “
Take a look
Records of the top five bowlers in the ICC World Trials Ranking (in the last two years):
1.Pat Cummins (Australia): 16 tests, 77 wickets to 20.1, 3×5 wickets in one inning
2.Neil Wagner (New Zealand): 11 tests, 60 windows at 20.8, 4x5wi
3.Stuart Broad (England): 19 rounds, 81 wickets at 20.3, 2x5wi
4. Tim Southee (New Zealand): 13 tests, 65 windows at 22.4, 3x5wi
5.Kagiso Rabada (South Africa): 11 tests, 46 plots at 27.0x5wi
