Mitchell Santner's all-round heroics power NZ in Hamilton Test: Stats
New Zealand recorded a historic win against England in the third and final Test at Hamilton's Seddon Park. The Black Caps won by a mammoth 423 runs with Mitchell Santner being instrumental in the victory. Santner took the last three wickets of Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, and Brydon Carse, ending with figures worth 4/85. He also played two sublime knocks in the match. Here are his stats.
Santner shine in New Zealand's victory
Santner was at his all-round best in the game, scoring 76 runs in the first innings and later contributing with a fiery 49 in the second. The left-arm spinner, who did not feature in the first two games, took three wickets in as many overs in his first outing with the ball. His four-fer in the final innings meant England were folded for just 234 while chasing 658.
Santner's performance earns him Player of the Match
Santner's brilliant match earned him the Player of the Match award. Although New Zealand won, England won the series with their earlier victories in Christchurch and Wellington. "It's nice to bowl with a bit of a lead and the way they want to play - playing shots - means you're always in the game," Santner said about his successful bowling plan.
England's 2nd innings and New Zealand's dominance
England resumed their second innings on Day 4 at 18/2 with Joe Root and Jacob Bethell looking to stage a comeback. Root played a sublime knock but was eventually dismissed by Santner for 54. Bethell scored 76 before being caught by Glenn Phillips off Tim Southee's bowling. As mentioned, Santner later ran through England's lower-order batters to finish with four wickets.
Here are his stats
Santner was at his all-round best as he recorded scores worth 76 off 117 balls and 49 off 38 balls. He went past 1,000 (now 1,066) runs during his stay as he averages 26(50s: 4, 100: 1). The tally also includes his solitary Test ton. The left-arm spinner, who later claimed 3/7 and 4/85 in the match, took his tally of 74 Test scalps at 34.13. Against England, he has tallied 11 wickets at 29.54 and 274 runs at 54.80.
How did the game pan out?
NZ managed 347/10 while batting first thanks to half-centuries from Tom Latham and Mitchell Santner. England struggled in their first innings and were bowled out for just 143 runs. Matt Henry took four wickets. Despite their mammoth 204-run lead, New Zealand chose not to enforce the follow-on in their second innings. Kane Williamson's 156 meant the hosts finished at 453/10 in their second outing. As mentioned, the Brits could only manage 234/10 while chasing 658.
