Wagner routs Wellington

Left-arm fast bowler Neil Wagner's record-breaking spell helped Otago rout Wellington by an innings and 138 runs in three days at the Queenstown Events Centre.

Wellington, who ended the second day on 57 for 1, looked in relative comfort on 112 for 1 in pursuit of Otago's first innings total of 441, before Harry Boam, Grant Elliott and Neal Parlane fell in quick succession. At 136 for 4 with opener Stewart Rhodes looking solid on 77, Wellington would still have hoped to put up a competitive total. However, they hadn't bargained for South African born Wagner's searing spell.

Wagner, bowling the last over before lunch, had Rhodes caught by Neil Broom off the first ball of the over. He then bowled Justin Austin-Smellie and Jeetan Patel off the next two deliveries to register his hat-trick and followed up that with the wicket of Ili Tugaga to make it four in four. No. 10 Mark Gillespie survived the fifth ball, only to get bowled off the final ball off the over. Wagner's performance eclipsed the previous best performance in an over by a bowler in New Zealand which was in 1929-30 when Englishman Maurice Allom took four wickets in five balls against New Zealand at Lancaster Park in Christchurch. Wagner returned after lunch to bowl the last batsman Andy McKay to end up with career-best figures of 6 for 36 as Wellington collapsed to 148 all out.

Following on, Wellington's batting stuttered yet again as they lost their first three wickets, including that of Rhodes, with just 16 runs on the board. Elliott resisted with 61, but failed to receive support from the other frontline batsmen. Gillespie and McKay added 39 runs for the last wicket, but that only delayed the inevitable as Wellington were bowled out for 155 to hand Otago a convincing win. Wagner was among the wickets again, accounting for Elliott, Patel and Tugaga to end up with match figures of 9 for 66.