Mitchell Santner’s remarkable performance has made him a standout player in the early stages of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. What added to his advantage was the fact that he got to play on the home turf of his Indian Premier League team, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), when facing Afghanistan on Wednesday.
Santner, embraced by his CSK fans, played a crucial role in dismantling Afghanistan’s middle and lower-order batters, finishing with impressive figures of 3/39 as New Zealand secured a convincing 149-run victory.
Speaking about the familiar conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Santner remarked, “When we come here for the IPL, we often encounter wickets that bear a resemblance to this.”
Santner’s exceptional performance has positioned him at the top of the wicket-taking leaderboard in the tournament, with a total of 11 wickets in New Zealand’s first four matches.
Additionally, Santner achieved a significant milestone in Chennai by becoming the second Black Caps spinner to reach 100 One Day International wickets following in the footsteps of the legendary Daniel Vettori.
Under the leadership of Tom Latham, New Zealand continued to establish their dominance in the Cricket World Cup 2023, securing a convincing 149-run victory over Afghanistan.
Despite Afghanistan’s impressive win against defending champions England, they struggled to deliver against New Zealand. The Kiwis, propelled by strong performances from Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips, and Will Young, set a formidable target of 288/6. In response, Afghanistan could only muster 139 runs in 34.4 overs.
Meanwhile, Mitchell Santner, who is loved by the CSK fans despite not making a whole lot of appearance during a IPL season for the team, had a heartwarming message for the fans. “Chennai is my home away from home. It was great to play the Chepauk,” said Santner.
