In the wake of the Cricket World Cup, I thought I would slip in a very small article (hopefully without Rob noticing, but with the subject being a Pretoria boy, he may turn a blind eye) about our South African seamer Neil Wagner, who has kept our Plunket Shield side afloat this season.
Not only has he been a huge contributor on all fronts for our cricket team this year (efforts that have earnt him plaudits from all areas of the game) but, today he finished the season with a feat even rugby purists in the Republic will appreciate.
Pretoria-born, Wagner produced a record-breaking spell of bowling that propelled Otago to an innings and 138-runs victory over Wellington in Queenstown today.
Wagner took five wickets in an over (including four wickets in four balls) and securing career-best innings figures of 6-36 and ending the match with 9-66. His final wicket was his 100th for Otago, taken at an average of 27.63.
He was the fifth person in world cricket to take five wickets in a first-class over and he is the latest person to take four wickets in four balls.
W.H. Copson first achieved the feat in 1937 for Derbyshire against Warwickshire while others were W.A. Henderson for NE Transvaal against Orange Free State in 1937-38, Peter Pocock for Surrey against Sussex in 1972 and Yasir Arafat for Rawalpindi v Faisalabad in 2004-05.
Four wickets in four balls had been achieved by only one other New Zealand, also from Otago, Alex Downes, against Auckland in Dunedin in 1893-94.
Wagner ended the season with 51 wickets at 18.15 and was only three short of equalling Stephen Boock’s record of 54 wickets in a season for Otago and moved into second place ahead of Neil Mallender who took 49.
Wagner qualifies for the Black Caps next season, and the bookies odds would have shorten markedly today on him getting that call-up.
That is impressive
Is he very quick?
@Pokkel (Comment 2) : Not lightening !
The first wicket in the over was an lbw and the rest all bowled.
@rhineshark (Comment 4) : He must get some movement in the air or from the pitch then. The modern game doesn’t always require a lot of speed anymore.
@Pokkel (Comment 5) : Agree. Even more so if you have a good yorker. Check it out:
http://www.3news.co.nz/Black-Cap-hopeful-makes-cricketing-history/tabid/317/articleID/205816/Default.aspx
Well done to the young man.