India qualified for their second consecutive ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final, as New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka in a last-ball thriller Test in Christchurch on March 13, 2023. Kane Williamson’s unbeaten century helped the Kiwis beat the Islanders by 2 wickets to go 1-0 up in the two-match series.
Star New Zealand pacer, Neil Wagner has been ruled out of the second Test with a bulging disc in his back and a torn right hamstring. The 36-year-old suffered a hamstring and back injury while on the field during Day 3 of the first test match at Christchurch.
The left-arm pacer shared his future plans-
“People might make their predictions and stuff like that and I’ve made a career out of proving people wrong. It’s definitely not the end of me,” Wagner said.
The 37-year-old felt pain in his right leg while bowling on day three of the first Test against Sri Lanka, and was taken for scans, which showed the injuries, with an estimated recovery time of six weeks. But after all this, he still came to bat for the last over of the day on Day 5.
“A lot of people said it could be the end of me after my first Test. I think the day I call it quits is the day I call it quits probably, or when they don’t pick me up again,” he further added.
Following the ongoing Test series against the Lankans, Black Caps’ next Test is not until November 2023, which is an away series against Bangladesh, leaving Wagner time to recover.
Think about Neil Wagner for a moment here.
Scans yesterday revealed he has a bulging disc in his back and a torn right hamstring. Yet, he ran onto the field in the final over with New Zealand needing three to win.
Happy birthday, you proper fighter. pic.twitter.com/QlFq0xxpAn
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) March 13, 2023
While in the first Test, On Day 5, the home side needed 285 to win, Kane Williamson anchored the innings with 121*, while Mitchell contributed once more, with a sublime 81. Though Asitha Fernando and Prabath Jayasuriya chipped at the wickets, it all came down to the final delivery of the match.
Fernando bowled a short ball, which Williamson missed, but took off for the bye. The keeper threw the ball to the bowler, who scored a direct hit at the bowling end. Replays showed that a diving Kane Williamson made the crease by millimetres as New Zealand won by 2 wickets and went 1-0 up in the series.
The second Test between New Zealand and Sri Lanka will be played on March 17 at Wellington.
Also read: NZ vs SL: Tom Latham Will Lead New Zealand Against Sri Lanka In The Absence Of IPL Bound Players