‘He’s been a fan favourite for a long time’ – Former New Zealand player set to return for Test series against Australia for one last time

In the 1st Test against New Zealand vs Australia, Will O’Rourke sustained an injury and might be out of the team for some time. Thus, Kiwi’s Neil Wagner might join the team to replace him despite his retirement from Cricket. Currently, New Zealand is waiting for a confirmation on O’Rourke’s injury and then they’ll approach Wagner to return to the 2nd Test match for one last time. Wagner has been a terrific bowler throughout his cricketing journey.

Post the match, Southee said, “(Wagner’s) had a great reception here over the last week where he got a couple of moments on the field and he’s been a fan favourite for a long time.”

However, he announced his retirement just before the start of the series as he got to know that he was omitted from the 1st Test against Australia. After New Zealand suffered a heartbreaking loss of 172 runs in the Test match, captain Tim Southee opened up about the situation and said that he was not completely ignored. Nevertheless, Wagner had played 64 Test matches and claimed 260 wickets. He is still one of the best spinners in the world and if given a chance, he should return to cricket and play one last match before bidding farewell.

New Zealand lost 1st Test match against Australia by 172 runs

The 1st Test loss against Australia by 172 runs will hurt the New Zealand team for quite a long time now. As the home team were expecting to defeat the Aussies after a brilliant comeback in the second innings, New Zealand batters failed to form partnerships and chase the target of 368 runs. Even though the pitch was a bit tricky, the failure of the batting order was the main reason behind their loss.

For Australia, it was all about Cameron Green and Nathon Lyon as they both were amazing throughout the match. Green scored 173 runs in the first innings which helped them reach 383 runs while Lyon took 10 wickets (4 and 6) in the match. Together, they destroyed the home team with ease.