New Zealand’s cricket team faces a significant blow ahead of the second Test against Australia as Will O’Rourke has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury. This injury has prompted the selectors to turn to uncapped pacer Ben Sears to fill the void left by O’Rourke’s absence.

Despite recent retirement, Neil Wagner will not be making a surprise return to the national team. Instead, Sears, with experience in 13 T20 internationals, has a chance to make his Test debut when the match kicks off at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

The decision not to recall Wagner underscores the selectors’ confidence in Sears’ abilities. Coach Gary Stead has praised Sears’ genuine pace and bounce, considering them valuable assets in Test cricket. Stead’s belief in Sears’ potential to step up to the challenge of Test cricket suggests that the young bowler could play a crucial role in the upcoming match against Australia.

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Meanwhile, Australia holds a 1-0 series lead after securing a convincing victory over New Zealand in the first Test at the Basin Reserve. As the series shifts to Christchurch, New Zealand will be eager to level the playing field on their home turf. The absence of key players like O’Rourke poses a challenge, but Sears’ inclusion injects a sense of anticipation and opportunity into the team’s lineup.

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The upcoming Test presents a pivotal moment for both teams, with Australia aiming to extend their lead and New Zealand determined to stage a comeback. Sears’ potential debut adds an intriguing subplot to the match, offering fans a glimpse into the future of New Zealand cricket. With the series finely poised, all eyes will be on Hagley Oval as the battle between these two cricketing rivals unfolds.

Neil Wagner, the indefatigable tough guy in the New Zealand side has decided that his time is up in Test Cricket. Starting late, after making a move from South Africa, Neil Wagner had a rise as a valuable part of the side which was moving well with Trent Boult and Tim Southee.

New Zealand, a country very conducive to swing is a nightmare for batters early on. For the early stages, New Zealand had Tim Southee and Trent Boult to build pressure and make batters dance to their tunes. As the game goes on though batting tends to become easier in New Zealand with the pitch flattening out and this is where Neil Wagner made his mark.

Running in and sticking to a short-ball barrage for long periods is where he stood out. Over his career he’s gone through long spells, often bowling 8-9 overs on the trot and even doing the same while having broken toes. Day 3 onwards often are the easiest to bat in New Zealand. It is at that stage that Neil Wagner became a nightmare for batters. His success was not limited to home though.

In 2019, when New Zealand toured Australia for what was a tough tour, Neil Wagner stood out. The Australians found it easy against the rest of the New Zealand line-up but Neil Wagner kept chipping away. He gave Steve Smith a tough time in that series as well while doing all this operating in the 130 KPH range. His speed is another aspect that made him stand out. While Neil Wagner bowled some nice short-balls, he did so at medium speeds relying solely on accuracy.

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With another series against Australia coming up though some tough discussions took place. The New Zealand management has decided that Neil Wagner’s time could be coming close to an end with his last year being rather quiet. While Neil Wagner played a central role in the famous one-run win against England last year, taking the last wicket, the sting in his bowling has reduced.

With new bowlers coming up chances too have gone down. In the last year, Neil Wagner has only played two Test matches. With New Zealand looking at the future Neil Wagner has decided to go through an emotional phase. He calls time after being one of the most competitive New Zealand Cricketers. Not the most physically gifted, Neil Wagner remains one who will be remembered really well among the New Zealand cricket team.

Following a hamstring injury sustained during the World Cup game against South Africa on November 1, Henry was initially expected to recover in time for the Tests in Bangladesh. However, subsequent scans and assessments revealed that his injury had not sufficiently healed, leading to his exclusion from the upcoming matches.

Expressing optimism about the replacement, Sam Wells, New Zealand’s selector, commented on Neil Wagner’s addition to the squad for the Bangladesh tour. He emphasized Wagner’s skill, experience, and competitive spirit, highlighting his previous performances in the sub-continent.

Wagner, 37, returned to action for Northern Districts after missing two rounds of the ongoing Plunkett Shield due to a back injury. Despite not being part of the initial spin-heavy squad selected for the Bangladesh tour, his inclusion brings a wealth of experience, especially considering his last Test appearance against Sri Lanka in March.

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The first Test against Bangladesh marks the beginning of New Zealand’s journey in the current World Test Championship (WTC) cycle from 2023-25. Wagner concluded the previous WTC cycle with an impressive tally of 18 wickets.

As the majority of the New Zealand squad, which also featured in the World Cup in India, undergoes recovery in Dubai before heading to Sylhet next week, the other players bound for Bangladesh will depart on November 21. The opening Test is scheduled to commence on November 28 in Sylhet.

The updated squad for the Bangladesh tour includes: Tim Southee (capt), Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Kane Williamson, Will Young, and Neil Wagner.

A couple days ago the Cricketing World experienced what will be remembered as one of the greatest Tests of all time. A follow-on victory, and a win by one run. New Zealand literally stole victory by the barest of margins. The Test had it all. England hammered New Zealand with the bat as Harry Brook continued to take a liking to Neil Wagner. The battle between England and Wagner started to bring attention to his future in the side. At 36, Neil Wagner has reached that stage of his career where his performances get scrutinized more than needed.

Wagner though continues to prove that he is a freak of nature. At 36, he continues to bowl long marathon spells and keeps bowling bouncer after bouncer. The bouncer is known to be the toughest and most demanding ball to bowl and takes a lot out of the body. Brett Lee himself once mentioned that a bouncer takes twice the effort. Neil Wagner though has made a career only on bowling bouncers. With New Zealand tracks tending to lose life on the last few days, Wagner has made it a habit of extracting bounce and consistently targeting batters on their chest, making it really difficult to take him on.

In his last three innings though, England seems to have found a way to counter him. Harry Brook, despite Neil Wagner laying in the foundation for his leg-side short ball trap, continued to take him on. He was positive, aggressive and ruthless. Harry Brook’s adventure resulted in Neil Wagner conceding runs at a really high rate, which is often not seen from him. Brook did not let him get into rhythm at all.

The first innings in Wellington was an absolute hammering. Wagner took 1/119 and struggled in the head to head against Brook and Root. In the second innings though, Neil Wagner, who loves bowling in the back end of a Test Match proved that he still has a lot of fight in him. He came into bowl when Ben Stokes and Joe Root were coasting to the target. The Test was slipping away. Neil Wagner though, few days shy of 37 was at work. He backed his bouncer theory and quickly saw the back of Ben Stokes, who took on the short-ball.

The situation was tailor made for Stokes. He had Root at the other side and was set. He has a habit of pulling out miracles and was intent on taking England to their first series win in New Zealand since 2008. It wasn’t meant to be for him though. The very next over, with the responsibility on Root, Wagner continued to stick to his strength. He kept it short and like he has on numerous occasions in his career, he had Joe Root miscuing to the fielder. Two overs, two wickets, and the Test turned. Stuart Broad came out with Ben Foakes. The pair played some adventurous cricket to get England ever so close.

Foakes managed to flat bat Wagner over his head as well, and in the end it was down to Jake Leach and James Anderson. Neil Wagner, into his tenth over of the spell was given a massive workout. He had two to play with, and his short ball theory always has the risk of conceding wide runs and runs with batters nailing their hook shots. Neither happened though. There was a short-ball down the leg-side which could have been called a wide on the penultimate ball of the Test. It wasn’t though. Instead, a ball later, James Anderson, who could have possibly hit the winning runs for the first time in his 179 Test career tickled the ball down leg to the keeper.

Seconds later, Neil Wagner was off on a run with the nerves in his temple bursting as they do normally. He proved once again that his mental toughness, doggy attitude and ability to create a dogfight trumps talent. From 201-5 he alone turned the Test around and helped create a famous victory for Test Cricket. One of the toughest characters, Neil Wagner, has proven once again that he has a place in the Test Cricketing World with his relentless 130 Kmph Short Deliveries.