Neil Wagner had been spotted as a 17-year-old by former Australia cricketer Glenn McGrath on the sidelines of the 2003 World Cup.
A bold prediction made by Glenn McGrath in 2003 about Neil Wagner has surfaced on social media 17 years later. Wagner, then 17, had been described as ‘someone to watch out for’ by McGrath. Wagner is now ranked No. 2 on the ICC Test rankings for bowlers.
Reacting to the revelation that McGrath had earmarked him for greatness so long ago, Wagner said on Tuesday: “Didn’t know this!Amazing and extremely kind! Remember how awesome McGrath and Brett Lee were! Carried my bag back to my parents car!Feels like yesterday!!”
Didn’t know this!Amazing and extremely kind! Remember how awesome @glennmcgrath11 @BrettLee_58 was!Carried my bag back to my parents car!Feels like yesterday!!Pretty awesome memory and so cool to see them both a month ago in the middle of the SCG! https://t.co/ORUh9SZ56O
— Neil Wagner (@NeilWagner13) February 3, 2020
During the 2003 World Cup, McGrath and a few of his Australia teammates were tasked with coaching a group of teenage pace bowlers in Pretoria. McGrath wrote about this experience in World Cup Diary.
“The one standout is a left armer, whose hero is Allan Donald — you can tell by the way he follows through, a mirror image of AD. His name is Neil Wagenaar and he’ll be someone to look out for it the future,” McGrath wrote in the book.
Wagner migrated from South Africa to New Zealand in 2008 and made his Test debut four years later. Now 33, the fiery left arm pacer will next be seen in action when the Test series against India begins at the end of February.
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