Neil Wagner happy to stay under the radar but England batsmen should be wary

While England’s batsmen might be most concerned with Trent Boult and Tim Southee ahead of the two-Test series against New Zealand, the bowler they should probably be most wary of is Neil Wagner.

The 32-year-old was a latecomer to international cricket, only playing his first Test in 2012 after waiting four years to qualify for New Zealand after leaving his native South Africa.

Since then, though, the left-armer has achieved the rare feat of tearing up the Test arena while also remaining inexplicably anonymous in comparison to Boult and Southee, his country’s two star bowlers across all formats.

In 34 Tests he has taken 144 wickets at an average of 27.87 — better than both of his more high-profile team-mates.

He also reached 100 Test wickets in 26 matches, faster than any New Zealand bowler other than Richard Hadlee.

Wagner, whose left-arm angle, aggressive approach and ability to swing the ball both ways makes him so dangerous, is no stranger to England — he was the leading wicket-taker on their last tour here in 2013, with 12 across three drawn Tests, and also took 31 wickets in 10 matches to help Essex win last summer’s County Championship.

However, in a pub debate about the world’s top bowlers, Wagner would rarely feature despite the fact he is No6 in the latest ICC Test rankings.

Indeed, in terms of seam bowlers, only South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada, James Anderson and Australia’s Josh Hazlewood sit above him.

It’s baffling then that the Pretoria-born bowler is also seemingly under-appreciated by New Zealand, who have left him out of 13 Tests in the past four years. Yet the understated Wagner is happy to stay under the radar and let Boult and Southee grab the headlines while he gets to work doing what he does best — taking wickets.

“Would I like a little more recognition?” he says. “Not really. Tim and Trent are class bowlers and the skills they have got, you’ve got to admire. The only thing I try to do is draw on my experiences and play my role, contribute as much as I can to bowl in partnerships with those two. That’s something that’s brought me success.

“I don’t read too much into the rankings. I couldn’t care less if I’m number six or number 100 if we win a Test match or a series. Those are the things I’ll remember for my whole life and when I’m growing old. Winning a series against England — that’s something that’ll stay with you for a long time.”

For Wagner, memories of 2013, just his third series, remain clear. Matt Prior’s unbeaten 110 salvaged a dramatic final-day draw for England in the final Test at Eden Park, the venue for the opening Test, which starts on Thursday.

“I remember we threw absolutely everything at it,” says Wagner. “It was an amazing series and I remember walking off and everyone was shattered, literally lying on the ground after giving it their all.

“A 0-0 draw and three hard-fought Test matches, it was just a pretty cool series to be a part of.”

One man Wagner knows in the opposition ranks well is Alastair Cook, who he won the County Championship with last summer and will be a team-mate of again this year when he arrives in Chelmsford next month.

“Getting him out would be quite satisfying and we’ll laugh about it when we sit in the pool or in the gym at Essex in a few months’ time,” he said. “He’s a top man but when the time comes I’ll try as hard as I can to get him out.”