New Zealand's left-arm pacer Neil Wagner has joined Somerset for the final three rounds of the ongoing County Championship to mark his return to competitive cricket after a long injury lay-off. Wagner was slated to play for Yorkshire in the ongoing English summer but a torn hamstring and a bulging disc in his back prolonged his return.
The 37-year-old pacer has enough experience when it comes to familiarity with the English conditions. He has already played for Northamptonshire, Lancashire and Essex and that experience is surely going to come in handy for him.
Wagner has already mentioned that he will be fully committed to the team's cause and push himself hard enough to make sure the team finishes strongly and "as close to the top of the table as possible".
“I’m looking forward to joining up with Somerset and hopefully I can help them finish the season strongly. I’ve played English County Cricket before and it’s something that I really enjoy.
“Division One is very competitive again this year and there are no easy games, but I’ll be doing everything that I can to make sure that Somerset finish as close to the top of the table as possible,” Wagner told Somerset County Cricket Club.
Somerset Director of Cricket, Andy Hurry lauded Wagner and mentioned that his addition is going to help them as they enter the final phase of the season.
“We have been working extremely hard to secure the services of a quality international bowler for the last three red-ball fixtures of the season. Neil is a proven performer at the very highest level and has vast experience as well as a thorough understanding of Championship cricket.
“He is a real competitor, and alongside our other highly rated bowlers, we believe we have the capability to consistently take 20 wickets as we enter the final phase of the Championship season,” Hurry mentioned.
