da roleta： Wagner’s heroics with the ball helped Northern Districts win the Plunket Shield for the first time since 2012
da lvbet： ESPNcricinfo staff01-Apr-2025It was a fairytale finish from New Zealand cricket for Neil Wagner, as he helped Northern Districts win the Plunket Shield for the first time since 2012 with eight wickets in their last gameNorthern Districts entered the final day of the game against Otago in Dunedin needing seven wickets for an outright win and the title, while Otago needed 287 runs. Wagner starred with a five wicket-haul to skittle Otago for 272 in their chase of 407 and seal the game.”Definitely up there,” an emotional Wagner said after the match. “Yeah, cherry on the top, like it’s just, couldn’t have asked for a better ending. Plunket Shield is one of the only things I’ve never been able to achieve as a team, and to do that in your last game here is definitely a tick off the bucket list and a pretty special day. It’s a nice way to end what has been a pretty special time in New Zealand.”Related
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Life also came full circle for Wagner, who began his domestic career playing for Otago against Northern Districts at the same University Oval in Dunedin, in 2008. He moved to Northern Districts for the 2018-19 season but whatever the team, there was no Shield title for him in 17 years of domestic cricket.”Yeah, got second a lot, and close a lot, with Otago and with ND, and last year was one of them,” Wagner said. “So yeah, to know that you get that close and not really quite get over the line is quite gutting, and we as a team set out knowing that this is something we wanted to try and chase, and the cricket we’ve played out throughout the whole year, everyone’s played amazing contributions throughout the whole year and played their part, and just been bloody proud to be a part of this association, of this team, to finally get over the line. You always know at Uni Oval it’s pretty tough to get wickets here, and you have to graft and grind through it.”I think just the way we played and the smarts of it, you know – Jeet [Raval} has been an outstanding leader, and [BJ [Watling] and Flynney [Daniel Flynn], the way they’ve coached this team has been outstanding. So everybody knew their role, they know what they need to do, and I guess how to achieve it. Yeah, just hats off and credit to them, and I don’t think it’s ever felt like it’s in the bag until I thought we needed three wickets or so left. I started thinking, hey, this is it, the dream’s going to come true in quite a nice and fitting way.”Wagner felt it was “pretty special” to win on your last day. He also walked off to a guard of honour on the final day and was seen shedding a few tears.”It’s awkward, you don’t know what to say or what to do. Don’t expect these sort of things, and a very nice touch,” he said. “Yeah, hopefully it meant that you played a part, I guess, in some of these guys’ lives and careers, and the way you play the game, I guess. So, yeah, nice little touch, even a target on the first day, what they’ve done, pretty special. Yeah, I’ve got no words.”I’ve sort of just put my head down and tried to walk through it as quick as possible and sort of get out of there. But, yeah, pretty special. I’ve started losing my voice, I’ve just been screaming in that change room. It’s a pretty special way to end what has been an amazing, I guess, like I say, 17 years in this beautiful country, playing, I guess, with my heart and soul on my sleeve and trying to give everything to try and win trophies and to do it, winning one on the last day, it’s pretty special.”Wagner’s domestic retirement in New Zealand came just over a year after he had ended his international career.But it’s not quite over, and Wagner can add to his 849 first-class wickets. On Monday, he announced that he would be returning to Durham for the final four months of the season, with his first appearance set for the home County Championship clash with Sussex on June 22.
