Blackcaps bowling hero Neil Wagner admits handshakes with the opposition were just a little sweeter this time, after helping his side to a historic one-run test win over England at Wellington.
The emotional fast bowler proved an unlikely matchwinner on the final day at the Basin Reserve, taking 4/62 with the ball, including the final wicket of English counterpart Jimmy Anderson, caught by wicketkeeper Tom Blundell.
The outcome represented just the fourth time a team had won a test match, after being forced to follow-on from their first innings.
Wagner's performance marked a bounceback from his devastating display at Mt Maunganui last week, when he fell victim to 'Bazball', thrashed for 110 runs off 13 overs in 267-run defeat.
With former Blackcaps skipper Brendon McCullum now guiding England towards world domination, the result as even more satisfying for his former teammates.
"It was nice," Wagner told AM. "Baz has been a huge part of this team for a number of years now, so seeing him on the other side feels quite odd and weird at times.
"He knows everything about us, but the way he is as a human and a player, he's well respected, and what he's done for England cricket has been huge. You don't expect anything less, with the nature of what he brings to a team.
"It was nice to give him a handshake yesterday - there was a little bit more passion to that. It was nice to get one up on him, especially being on the wrong side over the last little while."
As has become tradition after a Basin Reserve victory, the NZ bowlers celebrated with a limousine ride up Mt Victoria - but this one was different to previous trips.
"I've been fortunate to be on a few of those with various members of the squad," said Wagner. "It's a pretty cool tradition, a nice way to celebrate and definitely enjoyed last night.
"It's probably the first time we've done it in our whites, because we were a little bit late for it. We were in the changingroom and out on the ground with the England players, celebrating the series with them.
"Then we got into the limousine and did a couple of laps around the Basin, then went up Mt Vic with some champagne, and cheers the lads and memories you've created."
