Santner ready to let rip on return to Black Caps against Pakistan

Mitchell Santner didn’t miss much when he missed the first test against Pakistan last week.

A fracture to his right wrist kept the Northern Districts allrounder out of the match, with Canterbury’s Todd Astle being recalled in his absence.

The pitch at Hagley Oval wasn’t the most conducive to spin, with Pakistan opener Azhar Ali labelling it the most seam-friendly surface he had seen in his 53-test career

As a result, Astle was barely sighted at the bowling crease, not used in the first innings, and asked to contribute just four overs in the second.

With his left bowling hand unaffected, Santner has been able to keep practising while sidelined, and after receiving the all clear to return to action on Monday, he should come straight back into the Black Caps’ XI for the second test.

Speaking as the team gathered in Hamilton ahead of the match, which starts on Friday, Santner said he had no major concerns either mentally or physically about returning to action.

‘‘I guess there’s always a bit of doubt in training, but once you have a couple of hits and you realise there’s not that much pain there, you’re good to go. It’s just about mentally switching back on for international cricket.’’

Astle has remained with the squad, and selector Gavin Larsen has mooted the possibility of playing two spinners, but it would be surprising if the Seddon Park wicket offered anything to make that worthwhile. The last time the Black Caps took two spinners into a Hamilton test was in March 2010, when Daniel Vettori and Jeetan Patel both played in a loss against Australia.

The last time Santner bowled in match conditions was in India in October, and whatever Seddon Park offers, it’s likely to be a far cry from the spinfriendly conditions he encountered there.

The 24-year-old said he was glad to have got some subcontinent experience under his belt, especially at such an early stage of his career, and that he was ready for whatever the groundsmen at his home ground were willing to provide.

‘‘Every time you play you’re always gaining experience. I presume the pitch is going to be a little bit different to spinning in India, but we’ll have to wait and see what they prepare down at Seddon Park.

‘‘When we used to play Twenty20s here we tried to make dust bowls.’’