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When the closers ran out of ideas, he stepped forward to apply the finishing touches with his subtle variations.
Mitchell Santner’s future of testing looked uncertain in early 2020 when he was eliminated after touring Australia as part of a spin review. However, he came back and ended the year with a crucial double blow against Pakistan that capped a last gasp win for New Zealand at Bay Oval. The future of Santner’s red ball as an option to take terrain is not certain yet, but he has done his bit to help propel New Zealand towards the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) at Lord’s in 2021.
For most of his second-inning spell in Test 1 against Pakistan, Santner lacked control, deviating with his lines and lengths. Left-hander Fawad Alam shot and cut his way to 32 of 34 balls against Santner. The left arm fingerpinner also sent a dirty log jump to Mohammad Rizwan, who was duly crushed to the edge of the midwicket.
However, when the rhythm quartet couldn’t find a way beyond a stubborn lower order, it was Santner who stepped up to apply the finishing touches with his subtle variations. After beating Mohammad Abbas with a delivery that he grabbed and spun past the outer edge, Santner pinned him lbw with a faster arm.
Top New Zealand sailors Trent Boult and Tim Southee had a shot at Pakistan’s last pair in tandem for five overs, but Naeem Shah and Shaheen Afridi somehow stopped them. Kane Williamson turned to Santner again, and in the nick of time he had Shah recover a catch from a loopy delivery that got stuck on the field.
“We were patient at all times, even in the first innings,” Santner said at the post-game press conference. “So, you know, like Kane said, we thought if we got one, we could get some. It was nice to see a couple of turns at the end, and contributing to the effort was good too. Obviously a little closer. Kane said the way That two locksmiths got the previews allowed us to get back in the game, so it was nice to help in the last two overs too. I guess my role there was to shoot the gate and hopefully a skid or a spin. “
Santner also made an impact on the field when he landed a direct hit from deep to shorten Rizwan’s first inning to 71. A day after that dramatic finish, head coach Gary Stead was asked if Santner makes things happen. for New Zealand.
“Yeah, I think if you look at the defining moments of the game, Mitchell Santner’s departure in the early innings set things back and gave us a chance to have a decent lead and then be able to drop something we wanted.” Said Stead. . “Mitch is a great teammate and has a lot of skills and I think he’s often someone that people point out that he doesn’t necessarily get results in New Zealand, but New Zealand for spinning bowlers is a tough and difficult place to play and offers a lot to our team. “
Sure, Santner has had bad starts across the Tasman Sea, but he’s been an anonymous contributor to New Zealand’s dominance at home. New Zealand has been undefeated in their last 16 home events, and Santner has appeared in six of those matches, scoring 282 runs averaging 40.28 and picking up 10 wickets averaging 29.30. The most prominent highlight was his career best 126 since No. 7 and 3 of 53 against England, also at the Bay Oval in 2019.
Ajaz Patel had previously been identified as a more offensive spin option after his success in the UAE and Sri Lanka, but Kyle Jamieson’s rapid rise has now rocked the mix, with New Zealand leaning toward four front-row spikes and an all terrain. As for Patel, who suffered a calf injury, he has now been asked to demonstrate his form and fitness in national cricket so that he can return to the national team.
In Colin de Grandhomme’s forced absence, Daryl Mitchell got the go-ahead against the West Indies before Santner returned against Pakistan at a Mount Maunganui field that was not much different from an Asian field, according to Azhar Ali.
Santner sees himself filling the role of an all-rounder on such tracks, but also accepts that there may not be a place for him in the XI on greener fields.
“We have seen surfaces that we have run into before [where] all four seamers have done a great job, “Santner said.” On slightly slower terrain like this [Mount Maunganui], there is probably a place. But of course, hitting is also important. We are not sure what we will get in Christchurch, it is probably not similar to what there is. Probably a little greener. “
Deivarayan Muthu is deputy editor of ESPNcricinfo
