Santner’s reliability, economy is key component of potent Kiwi attack

Overthepastweek, atthenewzealandnets, ithasbeenanear- impossibletaskforthesupport staff to take the ball from Mitchell Santner’s hands. Even when the Black Caps werebusyinagameoffootballaspartoftheir warm-up drills, Santner never missed a momenttogetintohisbowlingaction. Everynow andthen, hewouldheadtothesquare, takea close look at the pitch, before heading to the practicenets, wherehehasinvariablybeenthe firstonetohaveabowl.

The Chepauk was a familiar place for Santner. He has been a part of the Chennai Super Kings set-up since 2018, but due to Ravindrajadeja’spresence, the31-year-oldhas featured in only three matches at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Even over all, he has playedonly15matchesforthefive-timechampions, spending most of his time at the IPL warmingthebench.

Having grown up playing cricket in Hamilton, Santner isn’t new to warming benches. Inconditionswhereplayingevenone spinnerisconsideredaluxury, Santnerknows whatittakestomakeeveryopportunitycount.

“Itwasawesometobebackinchennaiand get some games here in front of loyal fans,” Santner told The Indian Express. “Of course, I haven’tplayedmanygameshere, butstillthese arefamiliarconditions. Onethingihavelearnt frommytimehereisthatinindia, eachpitchis different, andyouhavetoadjustaccordingly,” saidsantner, whoonwednesdaybecameonly thesecondspinnerfromnewzealandtotake

PTI 100Odiwickets.

Withanactioninwhichthenon-bowling armtendstobestiffatthepointofreleasebecause of a back injury he sustained as a teenager, Santnerisamasterwhenitcomesto keeping it simple. It is the reason why he is leadingthewicket-takingchartsatthisworld Cup with 11 scalps, including a five-wicket haul. Thisunerringaccuracyofsantneriswhat makes New Zealand’s attack more rounded andbalancedattheworldcup. Withapotent pacebatteryaround, itissantnerwhoiscapable of providing the much-needed spark in spin-friendly conditions. In ODIS, only Mohmmadnabi, Shakibalhasanandmehidy Hasan Miraz are more economical than

Santner, whogivesawayonly4.85runsanover. Most of it again comes down to his ability to hitthesamespotballafterball, overafterover, denyingthebatsmenanysortofroomtowork with. Anditisanaspectthatsantnerbelieves willbeof gooduseintheseconditions.

“I guess it comes down to playing in New Zealand, whereit'sprettyflatandthere'snota lot of spin, so you are kind of used to bowling theheavylengthswiththeoddchangeofpace beingthekey. Andthat’showilearntmycraft andnewzealandersdotrytomixupthepace, but keep it on the same length. So it's no differentoverhere. Obviously, ifthere'salittlebit morespin, youmighthavemoreofanattackingrole. Butnothingreallychanges,” hesaid.

Kiwi banker

Withonlyfourfieldersallowedoutsidethe 30-yard circle during the second Powerplay making it all the more challenging for wristspinners, atthisworldcup, fingerspinnersare providing teams the control which allows them to attack with fast bowlers at the other end. Santner, forinstance, hasbeenpartnering with Lockie Ferguson in the middle overs, where he has to switch between holding up anendandgoingforwickets.

“When there is a little bit of spin, finger spinnerscanbequiteaccurateandputabitof pressure on the batters through consistent lengths. Andifthereisabitofspin, theycanbe quite challenging. So if there is a bit of spin, it makesourjobalittlebiteasier. Justtryandhit a good length and spin it. When it's flat, you have to change your pace, like we do back home,” Santnersaidofhismodusoperandiin thesubcontinent.

Bred on unhelpful New Zealand pitches, Mitchell Santner relies on doing the basics right to climb to the top of wicket-taking charts.