NZ vs Pak: Neil Wagner ruled out of 2nd Test due to broken toes
Dec 31, 2020
Christchurch [New Zealand], December 31 : New Zealand fast bowler Neil Wagner has been ruled out of the second Test match against Pakistan which gets underway on Sunday.
Wagner, who bowled with a fractured toe, played a key role in New Zealand's tilling 101-run win against Pakistan in the first Test on Wednesday.
The left-handed bowler, who needed injections to numb the pain in the first Test, is expected to be out for more than five weeks.
"I'm not sure there are too many individuals that could do what he did in that test match. It was an absolutely amazing performance. He (Wagner) was getting injections to try to numb the pain. The injections were wearing off each time and we can't have him going through that again for this test match," stuff.co.nz quoted the Kiwis coach Gary Stead as saying.
With this win, New Zealand not only gained a 1-0 lead in the Test series but also moved closer to the No.1 spot in the ICC Test Team Rankings. The side will confirm their place on the top if they clinch the series.
Day five of the first Test was an emotional joy ride. With Fawad Alam and Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan weathering the storm in the first two sessions, it almost looked like the game will be drawn as the duo stitched the eighth-longest fourth-innings partnership of all time.
However, New Zealand pacers denied visitors a draw as Pakistan lost all six wickets in the concluding session of the match.
Stead said the first Test witnessed "magnificent performances" from everyone
"If you look through the playing XI there were some magnificent performances from everyone throughout the match and I guess that's what winning test cricket is about. It's not about just one contribution or a few it's about everyone and I thought we did that superbly well," he said.
New Zealand will take on Pakistan in the second Test of the two-match series at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch from January 3.
