BLACKCAPS paceman Neil Wagner’s feeling right at home in England’s North, with the key common denominators being that it’s cold; and he’s taking plenty of wickets.
The Otago left arm quick’s been on fire for his county side Lancashire, taking 28 wickets at an average of 23 from his first six matches.
“Yeah, things are going pretty well so far,” Wagner typically understated to blackcaps.co.nz from his base in Manchester.
“The weather’s definitely making me feel like I’m back at home in Dunedin. You don’t seem to see the sun too much and when it’s out there’s still that freshness in the air so we’re living in jerseys at the moment!
“It's cool playing in front of big crowds most games. The ball’s coming out pretty good and I’m feeling really confident and enjoying my cricket, which always helps.”
Wagner’s also enjoying life off the pitch.
“I’ve got my wife over here and we’re been having a great time getting out and about, exploring new places and meeting new people which is a nice thing about playing over here.
“The boys took me to the darts the other night and I’ve got to say, that was a completely different experience!” he laughed.
“We actually didn’t dress up as we were sitting right up the front, literally on the edge of the stage so we had to behave ourselves!”
Wagner’s skill with the red ball is well known, but the 30-year-old’s also featuring in one dayers and T20s for Lancs.
“It’s pretty cool to get some white ball action and show what I can do with that. I’m loving playing all three formats and being able to contribute for the club as much as possible. It’s also great to be able to play with Gup (Martin Guptill).”
Wagner’s strong form to date has him eyeing the BLACKCAPS upcoming tour to Zimbabwe and South Africa.
“I’m pretty confident at the moment and happy with where I’m at. Hopefully I can keep doing what I’m doing and if that BLACKCAPS shot comes my way I can make it count.
“I just want to keep working hard and putting my name forward because it’s all about consistency at that top level.”
English county cricket’s new toss rule has changed the nature of the pitches, with the flatter and dryer wickets requiring Wagner’s short ball prowess more often.
“Yeah there’s been a bit of that stuff,” he laughs.
“With the away team now being able to to choose to bowl first, it’s meant we’ve had more flat tracks, so I’ve had to bend the back - but also bowl with variation which is something I’m always working on.”
And that’s Neil Wagner for you. Always working, always on. Relentless. Always.
