AUS vs NZ 2019: Neil Wagner hits Mathew Wade on the helmet as battle between the two continues

The bumps and bruises faded after the gap between the first and second Tests as the battle between Mathew Wade and Neil Wagner continued on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Thursday.

In the first Test at Perth, Wade indulged in a contest with Kiwi pacer Wagner. The New Zealander kept on bowling the short balls targeting the shoulder of Wade. However, the left-handed batsman didn’t bow down to the challenge and took some mighty blows on his body.

Again, in the second Test, the exciting combat between Wagner and Wade started right after the dismissal of Marnus Labuschagne. The left-arm pacer greeted the Aussie player with standard short pitch deliveries.

During the 61st over of Australia’s innings, Wagner bowled a short ball towards Wade. The Aussie batter, instead of playing the ball, decided to duck, but it hit his helmet.

Wagner’s delivery struck on the back of Wade’s helmet, and after the deflection, the ball went straight into the fine leg region for four.

The battle between the two continued until Colin de Grandhomme, who sent Labuschagne back to the pavilion, took the wicket of Wade.

De Grandhomme bowled a juicy length ball outside off, and Wade reached out to guide the delivery towards cover, but it ricocheted a thick outside edge to wicketkeeper BJ Watling who completed the catch.

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CATEGORY: Australia ICC World Test Championship Matthew Wade Neil Wagner New Zealand Test Video

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