Patched up Wagner gets ready to rumble
Neil Wagner and Dean Elgar passed like ships in the night at University Oval, a world away from when they used to scream abuse at each other on the high veldt.
Now this is Neil’s house. And while the New Zealand fast bowler, protective finger splint and all, declared himself ready for tomorrows first cricket test in Dunedin and insisted it was just another test match in the black cap, clearly it won’t be.
Wagner and South African opener Elgar will renew a feisty rivalry that began when they were schoolboys: Wagner in Pretoria at Afrikaans Boys’ High School (Affies) - which also educated South Africa’s skipper Faf du Plessis - and Elgar at St Dominic’s in Welkom, Free State.
‘‘He’s a great man, Dean, we get on really well off the field. We had a lot of battles on the field as young boys in school cricket. We hated playing against each other,’’ Wagner said.
‘‘I do like sitting afterwards with him having beer but we hate playing against each other.’’
The pair have met twice in test cricket, in Port Elizabeth in 2013 and Durban last August. This week marks Elgar’s first test in New Zealand and Wagner’s first against his former countrymen on ‘home’ soil. Even better, in Dunedin where he’ll stay in his own bed and drive to University Oval each day from his home south of the city.
Elgar recalls the schoolboy rivalry fondly. ’’Free State against Northerns and it used to be pretty feisty. A lot of Afrikaans people in those two teams and it was pretty heated. We were all trying to play for careers we never thought we could have back then,’’ Elgar said.
‘‘He [Wagner] has really come on in leaps and bounds for New Zealand cricket and also seems like he’s leading their bowling with regards to their aggression, which is great to see a bit of South African mentality coming out there.’’
That aggression was clear when Wagner snared 5-86 against South Africa at his former home ground at Centurion in August. In three tests against them he has 10 wickets at 28.6; and since January 2015 Wagner’s established himself as the Black Caps’ No 1 striker with 60 wickets at 22.88.
He stressed to South African reporters during that August series he was a fair dinkum kiwi now. Complete with a tutorial on how to pronounce Wagner in the New Zealand accent rather than
"We had a lot of battles on the field as young boys in school cricket." New Zealand bowler Neil Wagner on South African batsman Dean Elgar
the gutteral Afrikaans that sounds something like ‘‘Vacchner’’.
So when told Elgar had jokingly observed the Dunedin cold which isn’t forecast to top 15degc till day two of the test, a laughing Wagner countered with the full Otago Tourism routine. Yes, it can get cold but you can’t beat Dunedin on a good day; it’s a lovely ground to play test cricket on, etcetera.
In three tests against England (drawn), West Indies (drawn) and Sri Lanka (won) at University Oval, Wagner’s been steady with 15 wickets at 32.
The test pitch, local groundsman Mike Davies’ first, presented with some green grass but not anything to give opening batsmen nightmares, two days out with more preparation to come.
Wagner said University Oval had offered turn for the spinners this season and always required hard toil from the quicks with its lack of bounce. Needless to say, Wagner will be slamming the red Kookaburra in to test it out in his now-familiar method of shortpitched attack.
‘‘You’ve got to work hard, be patient and know the area to bowl. When you put it there consistently for long periods of time, sometimes longer than other grounds, there’s always a bit of reward for you. I love playing here.’’
That dream to play on his home ground in his 30th test, against his country of birth, was in the balance when Wagner broke the ring finger on his bowling hand stopping a firm drive from test teammate Jeet Raval in a 50-over match on February 1. He didn’t require surgery and rapidly returned to club cricket with Albion on February 25.
On Monday Wagner sported a black splint to protect the finger, which will come off when he bowls.
‘‘I got a knock on it the other day and thought I might be a bit worried.
‘‘When you take a knock and you can see it’s all good it gives you confidence to know you’re ready.
‘‘Luckily I’ve had a lot of cricket up till the injury; about a year full on without a break, so that fourweek break has been good to freshen up and get the strength and conditioning up.
‘‘Being the ring finger, I could still bowl and train.’’