Mitchell Santner and Tim Southee each took three wickets as New Zealand ended an 11-year winless streak in Australia with an 89-run thrashing of the hosts and defending champions in the Super 12 opener of the Men’s T20 World Cup at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.

Also Read| T20 World Cup 2022: Fans wowed by Glenn Phillips’ gravity-defying catch vs Australia

Who is Mitchell Santner?

Born on February 5, 1992, Mitchell Josef Santner is a New Zealand cricketer who plays in all formats. He is a left-handed batting all-rounder who bowls slow left-arm spin. He was a part of New Zealand’s highest 7th wicket partnership in Tests. He is 30 years old. 

Santner is married to Caitlin Dodunski. 

When Daniel Vettori announced his retirement after the 2015 World Cup, New Zealand began looking for another left-arm spin option and appointed him to the one-day team for the tour of England.

On June 9, 2015, he played his first One Day International for New Zealand. 

Also Read| T20 World Cup: New Zealand win in Australia for the first time in 11 years

He scored 28 runs in one over off Adil Rashid during the fourth ODI of the same series, which is the second-highest number of runs off one over ever recorded in England. On June 23, 2015, he made his Twenty20 International debut in the same series.

Santner was named man of the match in the opening game against host India for his outstanding bowling efforts, which helped his team win by 47 runs.

Santner’s 4 for 11 bowling effort is also the best World Twenty20 bowling performance by a spinner from New Zealand. He was included in the 2016 T20 World Cup’s “Team of the Tournament” by the ICC.

Also Read| T20 World Cup: India vs Pakistan match tickets sell out in 10 minutes

In the fourth ODI, Santner and Jeetan Patel made history by being the first spinner duo to start bowling. He was one of twenty players who received new contracts from New Zealand Cricket in May 2018 for the 2018–19 campaign.

Santner made his international comeback against Sri Lanka on January 11, 2019, in the lone T20I played between the teams. 

Santner made his IPL debut in 2019 after being purchased by Chennai Super Kings for INR 50 Lakhs.

He scored a six on the game’s final ball while representing Chennai Super Kings, defeating Rajasthan Royals.

Santner recorded his first test century when facing England at Bay Oval in November 2019. His 261-run stand with BJ Watling established a record for New Zealand’s best 7th-wicket partnership in test cricket. He also picked up three wickets in the second innings, becoming the first New Zealand spinner to do so at home since March 2018—101 straight Test wickets, over 11 innings, fell to seamers in that time.

Santner led New Zealand in the third Twenty20 International game against the West Indies in November 2020, making history as the country’s first-ever international captain. He played for Chennai Super Kings in the 2022 Indian Premier League.