Mitchell Santner and the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali have very little in common. But in some ways, Santner’s bowling is based on Ali’s famous statement, “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”.
To understand the analogy, just think of how he deceived Angelo Matthews in the 2023 50-over World Cup. From wide of the crease, he bowled one above the eyeline of Matthews. For a split second, the batter might have thought that he is all set to stonewall the delivery off the front foot. Just that the delivery landed a tad shorter than what the batter would have expected it to be.
After pitching, it turned, bounced, took the shoulder of the bat and carried to the lone slip fielder. Even in the recently concluded Test series in India, he put on an exhibition of how to deceive batters with subtleness. In the second innings of the Pune Test, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan were all victims of Santner’s cat and mouse game.
Santner’s approach to the crease could seem as if he is a run-of-the-mill spinner. But with subtle changes in pace and angles, he can pack enough punches. The stop-start action gives him that bit of extra time to watch the feet of the batter and adjust accordingly. Santner also imparts enough revs on the ball.
Some number-crunching will help us to gauge the significance of Santner’s contributions with the ball. Since the start of the 2023 World Cup, Santner has bagged 29 scalps at 29.79 in ODIs. More importantly, his economy rate is at an impressive 4.67. Even in an era where bowlers are finding it increasingly difficult to keep the runs down, Santner’s economy rate is less than five.
His utility to the New Zealand side goes beyond just his bowling. Santner, who is currently the skipper of his country’s white-ball sides, comes across as a level-headed cricketer. He is also a useful batter lower down the order.
The New Zealand side isn’t just about Santner as Michael Bracewell and Glenn Phillips add enough depth to New Zealand’s spin attack and also the batting side of things. Phillips, who is more of a batting all-rounder, is renowned for his pyrotechnics; something that could be observed during the tri-series in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Bracewell bagged four wickets in New Zealand’s previous game versus Bangladesh.
The Kiwis also have a well-oiled batting engine, with most of the batters having the required nous to tackle spin bowling. On the flip side, there is an issue or two with New Zealand’s death overs bowling.
Despite one or two areas of concern, New Zealand would feel quietly confident of lifting the Champions Trophy. Some 25 years ago, Chris Cairns’ hundred had steered New Zealand to a famous victory in the ICC Knockout final. Perhaps the time is ripe for Santner and co. to do something similar.
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