/cloudfront-ap-southeast-2.images.arcpublishing.com/nzme/JL6L7KVVUNBED52LDZZDT7XPFY.jpg){kind=small}
Cricket: BlackCap Nell Wagoner was ruled out for the second Test against Pakistan
Neil Wagner was in obvious pain during the first test against Pakistan. Photo / Photosport
The “Black Cubs” fast shooter, Neil Wagner, was excluded from the second Test against Pakistan.
Wagner, who was bowling with two broken fingers all over, finished with numbers 4-105 out of 49 runs in the first Test and required multiple rounds of pain reliever injections to keep him on the court.
However, his heroics will end there after the Black Caps announced the rest of their first-changed players in the second Test which begins January 3 in Christchurch. It is expected that his injuries will take six weeks to heal.
“I’m not sure there are a lot of people who can do what he did in that test match,” BlackCaps coach Gary Steed told media on Thursday.
“I guess the pain, the injections he was getting was going away every time … and we just can’t get him to go through that again in this Test match.
“We want to be logical about this. He might need five or six weeks of recovery now to be suitable for the end of the season.
“He has just shown how powerful he is and how important he is to New Zealand for a long time. We will miss him deeply.”
Steed says a substitute for Wagner will be named early Friday and expects the side to maintain the current balance within the team.
“I think he’s likely to be a substitute likewise, so you imagine he’s going to be a fast player.”
Regardless of this swing, they’ll have great shoes to fill. Since the start of 2018, Wagner has taken 75 wickets with an average of 23.36, often in a spine role with the ball used in the Black Caps.
The favorites to join the squad appear to be Matt Henry, who is back from injury, Doug Brasewell, who hasn’t played a Test in over four years, or Ed Nuttall, a spirited left player. .
All three of these options have been in a recent wicket for New Zealand A.
Meanwhile, Steed halted any concern about the health of the multi-skilled Mitchell Santner who was seen suckling his toes during the Tauranga Final Test.
“I think the TV probably made a little more of it than it was. It’s a little painful but that didn’t affect his ability to lie down at all.”
The Black Caps top the series 1-0 and need more victory at Hagley Oval to maintain hopes of appearing in the World Test Championship Final in Lords in June 2021.