Neil Wagner becomes fifth Kiwi bowler with 250-plus Test wickets
New Zealand left-arm pacer Neil Wagner claimed a crucial four-fer on Day 1 of the Day-Night Test versus England. Wagner produced figures worth 4/82 from 16.2 overs. He got the scalps of Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Foakes, and Jack Leach. With this, Wagner has breached the 250-wicket mark in Test cricket, becoming the fifth Kiwi bowler to do so.
A solid four-fer on Day 1 for Wagner
Wagner dismissed Root, who tried to play the reverse scoop and held out at the first slip. A perfect short ball saw Wagner dismiss get an in-form Brook, whose attempted pull shot saw the ball hit the stumps. Foakes was the next man to be dismissed, reaching out for a short ball outside off. Another short ball saw Wagner dismiss Leach.
250-plus scalps for Wagner
Wagner has raced to 251 scalps for New Zealand at an average of 26.80. He joins an elite list of Kiwi bowlers such as Sir Richard Hadlee (431), Daniel Vettori (361), Tim Southee (355), and Trent Boult (317) in terms of 250-plus wickets. Meanwhile, Wagner also got past Michael Holding (249), Richard Benaud (248), and Matthew Hoggard (248) in terms of wickets.
How has Wagner performed versus England?
Wagner has raced to 50 wickets versus England at an impressive 29.94. He is now the 4th Kiwi bowler after Hadlee (97), Boult (70), and Southee (68) to take 50-plus wickets versus England. Overall, he is the 8th bowler with 50-plus wickets in NZ-ENG matches.
How has Day 1 panned out?
In what can be called a stunning decision, England declared their first innings at 325/9 (58.2 overs) in the ongoing opening Test. England were off to a poor start with opener Zak Crawley (4) perishing cheaply. Nevertheless, Ben Duckett (84) joined forces with Ollie Pope (42) and the duo added 99 runs for the second wicket. Brook's 89 helped England post a strong total.
