"Sprinted 20 meters and dived full length with a torn hamstring" - Twitter lauds 37-year-old Neil Wagner for his match-winning dive in NZ vs SL Test

Neil Wagner played an important role in New Zealand's two-wicket win against Sri Lanka earlier on Monday (March 13) in Christchurch. The left-arm pacer was at the non-striker's end when the Blackcaps needed one run off one ball to win the Test match.

Striker Kane Williamson, who scored a splendid 121, attempted a shot off Asitha Fernando's bowling, but he failed to get any bat on it. The ball went to the wicket-keeper as the two New Zealand batters attempted to steal a run.

Wagner had to cover a lot of ground quickly, and he ran the fastest he could despite having a hamstring injury. He was already home when wicket-keeper Niroshan Dickwella's throw missed the stumps at the striker's end.

Williamson also completed the run at the other end, helping New Zealand record a thrilling win against Sri Lanka at the Hagley Oval. Fans on Twitter lauded the 37-year-old Wagner for running fast despite being injured. One of them wrote:

Neil Wagner has been ruled out of the 2nd Test of the series aganst Sri Lanka

While Neil Wagner came out to bat for New Zealand in the first Test despite being injured, he has already been ruled out of the next Test of the series against Sri Lanka. The left-arm pacer needs some time to recover to full fitness after suffering the aformentioned back and hamstring injuries.

It will be interesting to see when the veteran will eventually make his return to the New Zealand Test team. He emerged as a hero for his team on Monday by completing the winning runs on the last ball of the Test against Sri Lanka.

Earlier in the match, Wagner bowled 10 overs, conceding 68 runs in the first innings. However, he scored a 24-ball 27 with the bat in the first innings, smacking one four and three sixes to help the Kiwis gain a crucial 18-run lead.

Wagner bowled only three overs in the second innings before coming out to bat and playing his part in his side getting the winning runs.

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Vinay has been working as a cricket journalist at Sportskeeda since 2018. A veteran writer, he has a total previous work experience of 8 years working for the likes of Swag Cricket and Fambeat, and believes in thoroughly verifying each and every piece of information before writing any article. His meticulous methods have led him to amass a significant readership of close to 30 million at Sportskeeda, along with winning several awards such as Machine Writer, Top Earning Affiliate, and Perfectionist Writer in his Sportskeeda journey so far.

Vinay’s love for cricket blossomed when playing the sport during school days. Today, he is a staunch supporter of his home IPL side Gujarat Titans and is also the ambassador of franchise’s initiative Race with the Titans. Unsurprisingly, his all-time favorite cricketers also feature from his favorite IPL franchise - Rashid Khan, Matthew Wade, Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill.

When not writing, Vinay likes to play cricket and hang out with his friends. Being an industry veteran, his influence goes beyond the sport of cricket and has interviewed several Kabaddi stars such as Mohammad Nabibakhsh, Daniel Odhiambo, Vijay Malik, and Girish Ernak as well. He also is a fan of professional wrestling.

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