Santner cleared for comeback
Mitchell Santner has been cleared to start playing cricket again.
The all-rounder was set to play club cricket in Hamilton yesterday, beginning the final phase of his recovery from the knee surgery he had in March, only for rain to intervene.
His return to fitness is good news for the Black Caps, two weeks out from the start of the home summer, and six months out from the World Cup.
No time table has been set for his return to the national team, but its possible he could feature in the one-day series against Sri Lanka starting on January 3.
New Zealand Cricket high performance boss Bryan Stronach said the 26-year-old had been making steady progress towards returning to play.
‘‘He’s been bowling and batting and progressing really well with his knee, so club cricket’s the next step for him. We’ll assess to see how he’s going after that, whether he carries on playing club cricket, or we progress towards the other stuff.’’
Santner is a key figure in the Black Caps’ one-day side, providing greater batting depth when he slots in at No 8, and will be eager to build on the breakout series he had with the bat against England shortly before going under the knife.
Stronach said while a return for him against Sri Lanka was possible, it was a case of taking his recovery milestone by milestone.
‘‘One thing we try to do with these guys is not get too ahead of ourselves. If you set too many goals in stone and it doesn’t work, then the disappointment is huge, whereas if you take each milestone as it comes, we can deal with that.
‘‘The Sri Lankan stuff could be on the table if all goes well, but I think for him it’s let’s get through club cricket and then we’ll reassess from there.’’
Meanwhile, fellow spinning all-rounder Todd Astle is set to have limited time to make a case for a spot in the World Cup squad, having minor knee surgery last month that is likely to keep him out until mid-January.
Corey Anderson will play as a batsman only for New Zealand A against India A this month as he recovers from a heel injury suffered playing for the Black Caps against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates last month and an illness that kept him from exercising once he returned.
With incumbent all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme struggling for form in the UAE, that spot in the one-day XI is potentially up for grabs, but with Anderson still needing to increase his bowling load, it opens the door for someone like Jimmy Neesham, also in the NZ A squad, to stake a claim.
Stronach said NZC was happy with Anderson’s progress towards being a one-day bowling option, despite his recent setback.
‘‘He had a good winter of T20 over in England. Although he didn’t bowl in too many games . . . he was actually doing quite a bit of bowling at training, and we’re looking to build him back up through one-day cricket, because to be in contention for the World Cup, he’s a bowler for that side, and the ideal balance of the team would have him bowling as well.’’
Batsman Martin Guptill is set to be fit for the Sri Lanka series, returning to action in club cricket in Auckland yesterday after straining his calf in October.
Adam Milne is the fifth contracted Black Cap currently injured, out for two to three weeks with a side strain.
After playing Sri Lanka, the Black Caps have a five-match series against India, starting January 23, and a three-match series against Bangladesh, starting February 13, to round out their World Cup preparations.
‘‘He’s been bowling and batting and progressing really well with his knee ...’’ Bryan Stronach