WTC Final: Neil Wagner rates celebration of various bowlers, gives Brett Lee a perfect 10

India and New Zealand are battling it out in arguably the most high-octane red-ball game ever, the ICC World Test Championship final at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. Although a significant part of the game has been washed out due to rain, fans have witnessed a fascinating contest between the willow and red cherry. Subsequently, all three results seem possible with only one day of play left.

With the Southampton track offering pace, swing, and bounce, pacers of both sides exploited the conditions brilliantly and troubled the batters. Veteran Kiwi pacer Neil Wagner also enjoyed an impressive outing in WTC Final, dismissing Shubman Gill and Ajinkya Rahane in India’s first innings. Apart from making the red ball talk, Wagner is also known for his passionate celebrations as his way of punching the air in delight is a sight to behold.

Apart from Wagner, however, there have been many bowlers in cricket history, who celebrated the fall of wickets in a highly-spirited way. On June 23 (Wednesday), the International Cricket Council (ICC) shared a video in which Wagner rated some famous celebrations on a scale of 1 to 10. First came up Australia’s legendary pacer Brett Lee and he got a perfect 10.

Neil Wagner awards Brett Lee a perfect 10

“Brett Lee is someone is idolized, loved watching him as a kid growing up. And the moment there (talking about celebrations) is just pure passion for getting the batsman out. Because it’s Brett Lee, I’ll give 10 out of 10” said Wagner in the video.

While England women team pacer Katherine Brunt, former South African speedster Andre Nel and Netherlands all-rounder Roelof van der Merwe got eight, Wagner gave nine points to Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir for his passionate celebrations. West Indies pace spearhead Kemar Roach received seven points, and Namibia spinner Bernard Scholtz matched Lee and walked away with 10.

Meanwhile, the WTC final has advanced to the reserve day, effectively Day 6 of the contest. At stumps on the fifth day, India were 64/2, having a lead of 32 runs. A draw seems to be the most likely result, but the track still has life in it, and it would be interesting to see how the game pans out.