At a glance
Daniel Vettori expects the Black Caps to be a major threat at the
2021 T20 World Cup, given Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi’s strong record in India.
Spinners Santner and Sodhi shone for New Zealand at the last
T20 World Cup, also held in India, in 2016.
They combined for 20 wickets, taking 10 apiece, and were influential in guiding New Zealand to the semifinals, where they lost to England by seven wickets.
New Zealand spin great Vettori, who will compete for Team Cricket in tonight’s Black Clash T20 match in Christchurch against Team Rugby, believed the Black Caps would be formidable at the October-November event.
If the Black Caps were to perform to expectations at the T20 World Cup, spin would be crucial in Indian conditions. New Zealand were fortunate to have two outstanding T20 options in left-arm spinner Santner and legspinner Sodhi, Vettori said.
Santner has captured 11 wickets from eight T20I matches at
17.36 in India, while Sodhi has also been a force, snaring 15 wickets in eight T20Is at 12.86, including a best of 3-18.
New Zealand will likely carry three spinners in their 15-man World Cup squad with the third spot wide open. Experienced legspinner Todd Astle is probably the frontrunner, but Ajaz Patel and uncapped T20 internationals Michael Rippon, Will Somerville, Rachin Ravindra and Cole McConchie all deserve to be in the conversation.
‘‘I think Santner and Sodhi are the two keys to that,’’ Vettori told
when asked about New Zealand’s T20 World Cup prospects.
‘‘The last T20 World Cup [in
India in 2016] Mitch had a couple of great games, so did Ish. They’ll have a lot of confidence in that.
‘‘The big thing for those guys is it looks like they really understand their roles. Mitch can be used up front or anywhere and Ish is there to attack from the seventh over onwards and look to take wickets.’’
Vettori, who retired after the 2015 Cricket World Cup, is these days employed as Bangladesh’s spin bowling coach, but hasn’t been with the team since February last year due to border restrictions and the Covid-19 pandemic.
He is planning to link up with the Bangladesh squad when they tour New Zealand for three ODIs and three T20s in March.
Vettori spent time around Santner and Sodhi towards the end of his New Zealand career and through Northern Districts and said both had developed significantly as white ball bowlers.
They were both highly valued in the T20 format and coveted by franchise coaches around the world.
Sodhi has nabbed the third most T20I wickets for New Zealand with 56 career scalps, while Santner has 54 T20I wickets from 48 matches. Only Tim Southee (87) and retired offspinner Nathan McCullum, who will also play in tonight’s Black Clash (58), have taken more wickets.
Santner had made major strides with his T20 bowling and grown in
Black Clash; today 6.30pm; Hagley Oval, Christchurch. Team Rugby: Israel Dagg, Ofisa Tonu’u, Jason Spice, Richie McCaw, Marc Ellis, Kaylum Boshier, Brad Weber, Jordie Barrett, Jock McKenzie, Will Jordan, Andy Ellis, Mat Sinclair. Manager: Scott Robertson. Coach: Sir Graham Henry.
Team Cricket: Stephen Fleming (player-coach), Daniel Vettori, Grant Elliott, Peter Fulton, Jacob Oram, Kyle Mills, Craig McMillan, Nathan McCullum, Jordan Watson (How to Dad), Scotty Styris, Adam Parore, Hamish Marshall.
confidence – which wasn’t always easy in cricket’s shortest format where batsmen look to be aggressive from ball one.
‘‘His ability to change his pace and his ability to mix up the type of ball he’s bowling, line and lengths, is really impressive. You can see when batsmen are batting against him they’re not sure what he’s going to bowl,’’ Vettori said.
‘‘I remember he bowled a late over to [West Indies batsman] Kieron Pollard [in November] and even as good as he is, he was struggling to know what Mitch was going to bowl next.’’
Vettori is an astute judge of Indian pitches from his time in the Indian Premier League as a player and coach.
While spin would be pivotal at the T20 World Cup, he warned the conditions could change greatly depending on the venue.
‘‘You can go from the incredibly flat wicket of somewhere like Wankhede [Stadium in Mumbai] to a spinners’ paradise on different occasions.
‘‘Indian conditions can change quite quickly. Once again, that’s where a New Zealand team with a lot of IPL experience on those grounds, as well as being a very good team, puts them in really good stead.’’