Williamson is a good captain but my Man of the match was definitely Neil Wagner. Without his bowling it would never have happened to keep NZ in the hunt for a Lords opportunity.

To come out and bowl the overs he did was truly heroic, right up there with what gets NZ in world Sporting triumphs. Yes Meads playing on with a broken arm, Shelford after a botched Castration from a drugged up French team, Snell two gold medals at Tokyo in a punishing schedule of heats and semis over 800 Mts to win the 1500 by almost 15 Mts amongst the true Grit legends.

For me the most inspirational though, was way back in 1953 when Geof Rabones Cricketers were staring down defeat at Ellis Park, yes they played cricket there in the middle of last Century. Neil Adcock one of the fastest the Saffers produced was delivering Mayhem. NZ 34 for four with two Batsmen in hospital one Lawrie Millar having been hit in the chest with blood being coughed up and as if that was not serious enough Bert Sutcliffe had been out for the count after a failed hook had an Adcock screamer hit him just behind his ear. Well Millar returned to score 14 and still the follow on was odds on. Swathed in a turban of bandage but still leaking blood Sutcliffe returned suggesting to his skipper Rabone who tried to stop him with, “Not enough for too many” Sutcliffe returned to bat.

The onfield dramas were Boys Own but they were eclipsed totally by another young man who placed his team as the only thing that mattered. Two days earlier Bob Blair the Wellington quick had been delivered the shattering news, his Fiancee Nerissa Love was one of the 151 Passengers and crew killed when the Overnight express had plunged into the Whangaehu River swollen by a Lahar from Mt Ruapehu Crater lake in the dark of night. Blair had been back in the Hotel room with his manager, grief stricken and he decided that in spite of a ground announcement he would not bat he rushed back to the Ground to bat at Number eleven. The not out batsman Sutcliffe had already begun to walk back to the dressing room with nine down when a tearful Blair came out to join him, the rest was heroic failure that is still talked about today nearly seventy years on.

It is very hard to imagine anything such as like in these days of no losing or winners and it was down to an ex Saffa to remind New Zealand what being in a team actually represents. Great Effort NZ, the doubter in my heart thought that declaration in the now famous words of Sir Humphrey Appleby, was entirely “Courageous”, but Thanks to Neil Wagner another victory bought with a total team effort and Wags definitely Man Of The Match.