WTC Final: BJ Watling will take care of the test mace during the team’s two-week quarantine upon returning to New Zealand

Outgoing wicketkeeper-batsman BJ Watling will take care of the World Test Championship (WTC) mace during the New Zealand team’s two-week quarantine upon returning home, fast bowler Neil Wagner has said. The players will be quarantined with Managed Isolation (MIQ) for two weeks after their return from the United Kingdom, where they beat India by eight points to win the first WTC final.

“We shared the mace around on the plane and throughout the whole night while celebrating, everybody had their turn to carry it round and make full use of that,” Wagner told stuff.co.nz

“And then on the plane, Ross (Taylor) got me to hand over the mace to BJ Watling, he’s going to take care of it for the next two weeks in isolation.”

Watling was playing the final Test of his career in the WTC final. He played 75 Tests for New Zealand, scoring 3790 runs and taking 267 catches.

“I think it’s a fitting way for him to send his career off, it’s been an amazing career for us, the role he’s played for a number of years now, just the whole person he is and heart and soul of the team,” said Wagner.

“He epitomises everything we are about as a team, the team-first attitude, being a guy that scraps and fights for everything, he’s led that all the way from the start. He’ll be sorely missed in this team,” the fast bowler said.