Cricket: Wagner sees wisdom from past as key

Neil Wagner. Photo / File

Neil Wagner can hardly be accused of putting his feet up during his break from international cricket.

He's crammed a fair bit into his time off before heading to the West Indies with the New Zealand squad today.

The bustling seamer went to South Africa for his wedding to Lana, just outside Pretoria, then went on honeymoon on the Greek island of Santorini before returning to chilly Dunedin a fortnight ago to round off preparations for a tour which shapes as an important signpost for the New Zealand team.

The question is whether they can carry on their fine work at home last summer when they beat the West Indies and India in test series and were rewarded by a step up the world rankings, to sixth.

The squad includes eight players who toured the Caribbean in 2012, three of whom are Wagner and his two fellow specialist fast-medium bowlers, Trent Boult and Tim Southee.

Wagner said that while it was a stretch to assume the performances in the home summer could simply be replicated, the wisdom accumulated on that 2012 tour, plus a dose of self belief out of those recent series, could only benefit the group.

"The only thing you can take is confidence and that experience, but you can focus too much on it," he said.

"This is a new series, you have to put that in the back of your mind and concentrate on the task at hand."

For Wagner, who made his test debut in Antigua on the 2012 tour and has taken 50 wickets in his 14 tests, there were valuable lessons for the seamers from that trip.

The Duke balls to be used have slightly different properties from those used in England.

They are brighter but have a less pronounced seam. The lacquer tends to be rubbed off quicker by the abrasive surfaces, bringing reverse swing into play far earlier than in other climes.

Wagner has been training with the balls to be used in the Caribbean.

"With the heat and humidity, you get a lot of sweat on your hands and have to try to keep the ball dry. [In 2012] we were experimenting, whereas now it's not something we'll be coming across for the first time," he said.

Sabina Park in Jamaica, venue for the first test early next month, is a venue Wagner likes.

He took three inexpensive wickets - indeed the other three seamers used in that match, Boult, Southee and Doug Bracewell all had decent figures - and hopes the pitch is similar this time.

"It was the only wicket where we got a bit of reverse swing and it seemed not as slow as the other grounds over there. It had some pace in it, not overly quick but a little bit of something. It's a ground I did enjoy, still tough work but we know how to prepare."

New Zealand have two warmup games before the test series.

Among their priorities before leaving will have been working on ways to combat the quality spin they are sure to encounter, chiefly from Sunil Narine. He caused problems on the last tour, and in his one test at Hamilton last summer. But Wagner also sees speedster Kemar Roach, aiming to return after being sidelined by a shoulder injury since last November, as a distinct threat. Roach took 12 wickets in the two tests in 2012, both won by the home team.

"It's not just all focusing on spin, but covering all the bases," Wagner said. "However there will be a truckload of spin over there. We're just going over back our plans, and we are a way better team now."