Allrounder pleased to contribute with bat
Santner acknowledges productivity was lacking so two big innings a welcome boost
Those who have bemoaned Black Caps cricketer Mitchell Santner’s batting development have seen encouraging signs of progress this week. To which the response might be about time.
Certainly the allrounder would acknowledge he hasn’t been as productive as he wants to be. But backto-back unbeaten innings of 45 and 63 — the first to push New Zealand to victory against England in Hamilton on Sunday night, the second to give them something to work with after a lacklustre performance at Mount Maunganui on Wednesday night — suggest his batting is growing in assurance.
Santner won’t argue if you point out his lack of batting productivity. His bowling is fine, but you need two strings to properly fill the allrounder shirt.
Since May last year, Santner has made nine single figure scores, a 20, 14 and 29, and now this.
Overdue, for sure. He’s averaging 26 with the bat, but it could be some way better than that.
In Hamilton, he was scratching about — three runs off nine balls — at a time when New Zealand should have been pushing on to victory. Ross Taylor, his 18th ODI century completed, got himself out trying to push the pace. Santner was battling.
Then he got the idea. Seamer Tom Curran was dispatched into the crowd, and Santner was off. Back-toback sixes off spinner Adil Rashid, and another from quality seamer Chris Woakes to win the game in the final over gave him 42 runs off his last 18 balls. That produced an understated fist pump from the languid left-hander. A strutting Shahid Afridi poseur Santner is not.
At the Mount, he got his first ODI half century, and amid a mix of squirts and slaps, there were quality shots which suggest he may have crossed an invisible line with his batting this week.
“I’m striking it not so bad at the moment and it was nice to get the boys home in Hamilton,” Santner said.
“[Wednesday] was about trying to get us a score which we could try and [work with]. So things I’ve been working on are paying off and it was nice to contribute with the bat.”
Santner has 58 wickets at 32 apiece and sits No 9 in the world ODI rankings. He is an integral part of New Zealand’s bowling line-up; now the batting is hinting that it’s stepping up, too.
“Of late, I have been struggling with the bat. I think the bowling has been coming along a bit better than the batting.
“So it’s good knowing you can still clear the fence if need be, and [on Wednesday] I spent a good time in the middle, something you don’t often do at No 8.” Mitchell Santner