For so long, we've called for our sportsmen and women to toughen up. Be aggressive. Take the opposition on, especially in cricket.
Even (probably pre-ball tampering) many wanted our teams to be "more Australian".
So, now we have a bowler who's doing just that, while getting considerable results, and he's being ridiculed? I'm confused.
Neil Wagner's nine wickets in the second Test against Bangladesh at the Basin Reserve highlighted his worth to the Black Caps.
New Zealand needed to take 20 wickets in less than two days at the bowling crease, on a pitch that, proven by their batsmen, provided good run-scoring opportunities. Trent Boult chimed in as he usually does in both innings, while in the first the other seamers also did some work.
But, in both of Bangladesh's time at the batting crease, the majority of the celebrating was done by Neil Wagner.
However, despite his undying commitment to consistently run in day-after-day of a Test match, on every kind of batting deck put in front of him, he's still ridiculed in some quarters for his short-pitch bowling approach. It's been described in many ways - disrespectful, unnecessary, over the top, even boring.
None of which I can quite understand.
In a game increasingly dominated by batsmen, bowlers need some sort of weapon in their favour. Wagner's is his short pitch bowling. None of it is illegal.
He, like every bowler, is allowed two bouncers above shoulder, but below the top of head height an over. Yes, his other four balls are often short as well, but it's a fine line between keeping those remaining balls legal and making them wicket-taking deliveries. He manages to do the latter at an impressive rate.
Then there's the comments of it being disrespectful and unnecessary towards the batsmen. For God's sake, what are we playing? Tiddlywinks? This is a professional game.
Most sports have an element of considerable risk to them. Neil Wagner is not the first bowler to use a short-pitched bowling tactic, and I'll let you in on a little secret, he won't be the last.
Some say he shouldn't be bowling short to lower-order batsmen who don't have the technique to guard against it. That it's cheap. I say get a better technique. Let me be facetious for a second, but should we expect Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, Joe Root etc. to not be able to play in the V because the bowler keeps putting it at half bowling length?
Of course not. Bear in mind in all of this as well, the umpire has the discretion to stop the short-pitch bowling if he or she deems it to be dangerous or unfair. This has never happened to Neil Wagner.
Some have also labelled it boring. I can, to an extent, see how some would find the approach dull. It's repetitive, I get that. But if we picked apart everything in Test cricket that's repetitive and labelled it boring, well, we'd find no excitement in the game whatsoever.
Crikey, take two of the best bowlers in history and repetition was a big part of why Shane Warne and Glen McGrath were so successful. They were unbelievably good at putting the ball on the same spot delivery after delivery. Nobody labelled that boring. Quite the opposite.
Wagner's approach is the same, albeit at a different length. If anything, that constant should actually make it easier for the batsmen to score runs because, surprise surprise, they know what's coming.
And, finally, it works. And it works well too. Wagner's record is quite incredible. The left-armer was the second fastest New Zealand bowler in Test cricket history to take 100 wickets. Second only behind the great Sir Richard Hadlee. In 42 tests he's taken 174 wickets at an impressive average of 27.51.
Compare that to Trent Boult's number of 246 wickets in 61 matches at an average of 27.54. Just as good, if not better.
So, with five days left of the home summer, on a pitch that traditionally has a bit for bat and ball my only advice would be; Lie back on the couch, grab a drink of choice and appreciate Neil Wagner at his aggressive, tough, intimidating best.
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