Test cricket teams for NZ and Australia welcomed at Premier House in Wellington

The Prime Minister tried his hand at cricket at the Blackcaps and Australia reception at Premier House in Wellington. Video / NZ Herald ...

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon faced a few balls from Black Caps quick Neil Wagner last night during a game of backyard cricket at a reception for the New Zealand and Australian cricket teams at Premier House ahead of their test starting on Thursday.

Luxon managed a few swings and misses before connecting to block a yorker, but then fell to the next ball from Wagner – a sneaky slower ball that snuck between bat and pad before taking the off stump.

Chris Bishop, Sports Minister and self-confessed cricket tragic, fared a little better, rolling his arm to take a wicket then smashing one to the boundary before retiring.

The Black Caps face Australia in a two-test series beginning at the Basin Reserve in Wellington before they meet again in Christchurch on March 8. New Zealand are regrouping after a 3-0 defeat in the T20 series against Australia, facing their old foe for the first time in a test match since 2020.