It will be a “tough challenge” for Mitchell Santner to surpass Daniel Vettori’s record. In the ICC World Cup 2023 triumph against Afghanistan, left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner claimed his 100th wicket in one-day cricket, but he acknowledged that it will be a “tough challenge” to even come close to surpassing New Zealand record holder Daniel Vettori.
Vettori, a fellow spinner, concluded his career with 297 ODI wickets for New Zealand and eight more with a World XI side. He retired following the 2015 World Cup final.
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Santner took 3-39 on Wednesday, when Afghanistan lost by 149 runs after being dismissed for just 139 runs. With 102 ODI wickets under his belt, the 31-year-old is the leading bowler in the standings after taking 11 at the World Cup, with a mean average of little over 15.
After Vettori, Santner is the only other Kiwi spinner to reach the 100-wicket mark. “It’s obviously nice to get to that milestone,” Santner said.
“But all I’m trying to do is work out there and play my part.” “I believe I’m 200-odd wickets behind him (Vettori), so it will be a difficult task to get there,” he continued. However, I did see a lot of him perform over an extended period of time.
Santner is loving the subcontinent’s spin-friendly conditions, which are very different from those of New Zealand, a seamen’s paradise. “Obviously, it’s nice to come here and see a little bit of ball spin, something that’s not really possible in New Zealand,”
Afghanistan’s bowling, which at one point had the Kiwis down to 110-4, was commended by Santner. He remarked, “I think you have to give Afghanistan credit.” “They were very proficient bowlers at the top.”
The only other unbeaten team in the competition, India, will play New Zealand next Sunday in Dharamsala. After winning their first three games, India’s Santner remarked of Bangladesh, who they will play in Pune on Thursday, “they look pretty tough to beat.”
“We’ll need to examine the wicket in Dharamsala and see what it will do. There has also undoubtedly been some bounce and pace, but we’ll see if it continues when we face them. “So, yes, we simply need to stay focused on the goals we have.”
