New Zealander pacer Neil Wagner yearns to play limited-overs cricket

Since he made his Test debut in July 2012, New Zealand pacer Neil Wagner has picked 149 wickets in 36 matches with a healthy economy rate of 3.20. Now, the southpaw wants to don national colours, but is willing to wait for it, even though time may be running short for Wagner, who completes 33 on March 13 next year.

“It [white-ball cricket] is something that I’ve always wanted in my life,” Wagner was quoted as saying by stuff.co.nz.

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“I think there was a time when I put way too much pressure on myself in wanting to achieve it too much. I was trying too hard to get there, and felt like I had to set the world on fire. The more you tried the less success you had,” he said.

However, whatever be the situation he is in, Wagner said that will not lose concentration on the task at hand. “Sometimes, I feel like I am dreaming, because it’s probably not going to happen. I’m not getting any younger, and the guys [Tim Southee and Trent Boult] there have been doing an amazing job. If I pay too much attention to that, you sort of lose focus on the things you do well, so for me it’s just to keep contributing and doing what I do best, and hopefully that opportunity arises,” Wagner said.

Wagner, who was part of Essex’s Championship-winning side last year (he picked 31 wickets in 10 games), will join the team this year as well. “Bowling with the Duke ball is a lot different to bowling over here [with the Kookaburra]. It obviously swings more, and you’ve got to present the seam a little bit more,” he said.

“You can sometimes fall into the trap of just bowling the short stuff and just working on that, you lose your other skill a little bit. The short ball is not as effective over there.”