‘Bloody special’: Wagner savours glory from couch
AT the end of his first day bowling with two fractured toes at Bay Oval, Neil Wagner said he didn’t want to have ‘‘Fomo’’ – the fear or feeling of missing out – and that he’d play his part as long as he physically could.
But after another two days, where he battled through the pain with the help of a series of injections, sending down 49 overs and taking four Pakistan wickets to help the Black Caps secure a crucial win, he accepted he wouldn’t be carrying on to Christchurch and would watch the second test from his couch.
For four days, he watched proceedings at Hagley Oval from his home in Papamoa, then, once the final wicketwas taken on Wednesday afternoon and the Black Caps went to the top of the world rankings for the first time, he received a special phone call.
‘‘I thought I was going to sit down with my wife and have a quiet beer and celebrate the boys’ success,’’ Wagner said.
‘‘But it was quite nice that my phone rang, and they let me in on a bit of the celebrations down there, which was a very special moment and very nice of them.
‘‘It just shows you what goes on in the team and how everyone cares about everyone, and wants to make everybody part of the bigger picture.
‘‘It was a very special moment and it was a really nice touch.’’
Wagner has amoon boot on his right foot, but hopes hewill be able to feature for Northern Districts when the Plunket Shield resumes, in March and April.
Looking back at his efforts in Mount Maunganui, which Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan described as ‘‘mad’’ and Black Caps captain Kane Williamson said were ‘‘very, very special,’’ Wagner said it was about doing what he could for his team-mates.
‘‘I pride myself on trying to deliver my job and contribute to the team as much as I can, in whatever sort of circumstances, and I felt the worst thing possible at that stage was that I was going to sit on the side and the work for the other guys was going to get harder and harder.
‘‘With the scenario of us having to get a test win, I knew that I had to try and do a job, in some sort of way, whether it was taking wickets or just holding up an end, and to bowl for the other guys and to hope they got a bit of rest — to make them as effective as I could.
‘‘It’s not like I want to go out there and just put my body on the line for no reason. It’s bigger than that. It’s for test matches, it’s for that black cap, and for your mates and the people around you.
‘‘It was satisfying that we ended up getting the result and everybody played their part and everybody put the hand up and just to have been able to find a way of contributing was pretty pleasing.’’
The win in Mount Maunganui was securedwith less than five overs remaining on the fifth day and it meant the Black Caps went to Christchurch knowing a win or a draw would secure
them the No 1 world ranking for the first time and that awin would keep them alive in the race to play in the inaugural World Test Championship final in England in June.
Wagner said it was ‘‘tough, in a lot of ways’’ watching from afar as the team went about their business at Hagley Oval, with fellow seamer Kyle Jamieson taking 11 wickets and Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, and Daryl Mitchell all scoring hundreds as they got the job donewith a day to spare.
‘‘It was a bittersweet sort of feeling, obviously wanting to be there, but it is an uncontrollable factor that you obviously got two broken toes and you can’t really do much about it.
‘‘It just is what it is, and it was really satisfying to sit here and see how everyone went about their work.
‘‘As hard as it was, it was bloody pleasing to sit herewith a massive smile onmy face and know what the boys had achieved – it was a very proud moment as a current player and as aNew Zealand supporter and as a fan, from that side, it was bloody special.’’
My phone rang, and they let me in on a bit of the celebrations down there, which was a very special moment and very nice of them.’ NEIL WAGNER