New Zealand pacer Neil Wagner retires from international cricket

Veteran New Zealand pacer Neil Wagner has retired from international cricket, calling time on his 64-Test career, bowing out as the nation's fifth-highest wicket-taker with 260 scalps. Wagner was picked in the squad for the two-Test series against Australia starting in Wellington on Thursday but was told by selectors he would not feature in either the opener or the second match in Christchurch.

He will then be released from the squad before the second Test in Christchurch. This marks his departure from the international cricket scene, leaving behind a legacy of 260 Test wickets, ranking him fifth on New Zealand's all-time charts. Additionally, his remarkable strike rate of 52.7 is surpassed only by the legendary Sir Richard Hadlee amongst New Zealanders with 100 Test wickets or more.

Hailing originally from South Africa, he shifted to Dunedin back in 2008 to join Otago for domestic cricket. Subsequently, in 2018, he moved to Papamoa to play for the Northern Districts. His Test debut occurred against the West Indies at North Sound in 2012, and it was against the same team five years later that he achieved his career-best figures of 7 for 39 in a Test match held in Wellington.