Man Of Impossible: Mitchell Santner Scores 13 Runs In One Ball (image-instagaram/mitchsanter)
New Zealand has been emerging as a surprising force ever since they began their World Cup campaign. New Zealand wasn’t among the top favorites for the World Cup in India. Hindered by injuries and their heart wrenching loss at semifinals in the previous World Cup, only a very few expected them to reach semifinals. But as the tournament unfolded, the Kiwi’s have defied expectations.
Now they are back on game sitting at the pinnacle of the points table with a perfect record of two wins. They opened their campaign by avenging their 2019 loss. Kiwis took down the defending champions England in the tournament opener and later on Monday, they brought down minnows Netherlands in Hyderabad.
Though the Netherlands began with an impressive start by managing to bowl three maiden overs (1-3) on a trot, things didn’t go well as they expected and ended the day with 99-run loss to New Zealand.
Chasing 323 wasn’t an easy task against the New Zealand’s attack. The Kiwi’s accumulated 322/7 in 50 overs with Mitchell Santner playing blinder in the death overs. He delivered a clinical all-round performance and amassed 37 runs off 17 balls. The extraordinary move came when he managed to score an astonishing 13 runs off a single ball.
This all happened during the final legal delivery of New Zealand’s innings, when Netherland’s Bas de Leede was tasked with bowling to the left-handed batter. While looking for a full toss outside off, the ball unexpectedly slipped out of the bowler’s hand and sailed over the waist. Santner seized the opportunity and smashed it over deep midwicket for six. As the delivery was no ball, Leede had to bowl again. But Santer this time comfortably cleared the long on fence for another six. De Leede was visibly frustrated with himself after conceding 21 runs in that over, especially since Santner started by hitting a boundary at the very first ball of the over.
Santner bounced back impressively to pick crucial wickets in Colin Ackerman and Scott Edwards in successive overs to crumble Netherland’s hopes. He managed to finish with five wickets for 59 runs, the second-best bowling figure by a New Zealand player in India.
With the five- wicket haul, he became the third left arm-spinner to achieve the feat in a World Cup after Bangladesh”s Shakib Al Hasan (5/29 vs Afghanistan in 2019) and the legendary Yuvraj Singh (5/31 vs Ireland in 2011). He also earned a place alongside Yuvraj in the unique list of World Cup doubles – players who have taken five wickets and scored 30-plus runs in the same match.
