Wagner rusty but ready for England tests
Cricket Neil Wagner has been busy in the test drought since December ensuring he’ll be ready for the two tests against England which will end New Zealand’s cricket summer.
Unwanted through the tumbleweed months of New Zealand’s regimen of ODI and T20 matches, all 24 of them, since the two tests against the West Indies in December, Wagner has kept himself busy on a diet of 50 and 20-over cricket for Otago.
He’s had two ambitions: to do well by Otago but also make sure he’s prepared for the tests. He, along with opener Jeet Raval — and now the recalled wicketkeeper BJ Watling — are in their own New Zealand club, test performers but unwanted in the shorter forms.
“You can only chip away and keep working on your skills,” Wagner said. “There’s been a lot of domestic cricket for us. The Plunket Shield has been a pretty high standard and it’s been nice to get some cricket for Otago.
“You do what you can to make sure you keep ticking along and prepare accordingly for when you’re required.”
Of New Zealand’s three regular seam bowlers, Wagner has been demonstrably the most successful in recent seasons. In 34 tests overall he’s taken 144 wickets at 27.87, but since the Indian visit of early 2014, his numbers have steadily improved to the point where his average (24.4) is significantly better than his two fastmedium teammates Trent Boult and Tim Southee (31.25 and 31.4 respectively).
For what it’s worth, Wagner is ranked sixth on the International Cricket Council test bowling chart; Boult is 12th and Southee 17th. Ahead of Wagner are top-class operators — Kagiso Rabada (South Africa), Jimmy Anderson (England), India’s spinners Ravi Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja and Australian seamer Josh Hazlewood. That means there’s a pile of quality sitting beneath the bustling left armer. Wagner’s not that fussed about it.
“I try to contributed what is needed for the team to win test matches. That’s the most important thing to me. There’s far more skilful bowlers on that list.
22 tests, 105 at 24.4 Trent Boult: 32, 128 at 31.25 Tim Southee: 29, 107 at 31.4
“It just shows it’s a bit of a fickle list so I don’t read too much into that.”
As for his steadily improving record, Wagner puts it down to consistency, and absorbing lessons.
“Sometimes you are going to have periods when it doesn’t happen for you. It’s like golf. You don’t always rock up to the tee and have a perfect swing. Sometimes it feels a perfect swing and you can’t hit the ball straight.
“I try to sum up the conditions early to try and go to whatever plan I’m going to work with Kane [captain Williamson]. I try to control the controllables, and be able to execute.”
His only pink ball experience was a two-day warmup game in Perth in late 2015, before the inaugural day-night test at Adelaide, for which he was omitted.
Wagner is in Mount Maunganui with the bulk of the rest of the first test squad until tomorrow. He’ll be making the most of it.
“It just comes down to mental preparation, staying fresh in your plans and methods.
“We’ve played enough cricket to know that you hit the ground running and find your feet early. It’s no different to playing around the world in different conditions.
“We knew about this [pink ball test] for ages so you make sure you get yourself ready to be the best you can.”