Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner took his 100th one-day international wicket in the ICC World Cup 2023 victory over Afghanistan but admitted it will be a \u201ctough challenge\u201d to even get within touching distance of New Zealand record holder Daniel Vettori.
\nFellow spinner Vettori, who retired after the 2015 World Cup final, ended his career with 297 ODI wickets for New Zealand, as well as an additional eight more taken with a World XI team.
\nOn Wednesday, Santner took 3-39 as Afghanistan were dismissed for just 139 to lose by 149 runs.
\nThe 31-year-old now has 102 ODI wickets and his 11 at this World Cup put him on top of the bowling charts while also boasting a mean average of just over 15.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s obviously nice to get to that milestone,\u201d said Santner of reaching the 100-wicket mark, becoming only the second Kiwi spinner behind Vettori to achieve the distinction.
\n\u201cBut I am just trying to perform my role and do a job out there.\u201d
\nHe added: \u201cI think I\u2019m 200-odd wickets behind him (Vettori), so it\u2019s going to be a tough challenge to get there. But yeah, I obviously watched a lot of him do his thing over a long period of time.\u201d
\nSantner is enjoying the spin-friendly conditions of the sub-continent, which is a world away from the seamers\u2019 paradise that is New Zealand.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s obviously nice to come here and see the ball spin a little bit which you don\u2019t really get in New Zealand,\u201d said Santner.
\nNew Zealand, runners-up at the last two World Cups, are well placed to reach the semi-finals after a fourth win in four games so far.
\nAfghanistan, who shocked defending champions England on Sunday, were the authors of their own downfall, dropping five catches.
\nIn stark contrast, Santner took a superb catch to dismiss Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi.
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t think I was going to get there at the start,\u201d said Santner of his catch off fast bowler Lockie Ferguson.
\n\u201cBut I guess lucky for me I\u2019ve got very long arms and was able to kind of pluck it out.\u201d Santner praised Afghanistan\u2019s bowling which reduced the Kiwis to 110-4 at one stage.
\n\u201cI think you\u2019ve got to give credit to Afghanistan,\u201d he said. \u201cThey bowled extremely well at the top.\u201d Next for New Zealand will be a clash with India, the tournament\u2019s only other undefeated side, in Dharamsala on Sunday.
\n\u201cThey look pretty tough to beat,\u201d said Santner of India who face Bangladesh in Pune on Thursday, after having won their first three games.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ll have to do our assessment in Dharamsala \u2014 see what the wicket\u2019s going to do. And obviously there has been a little pace and bounce, but whether that is the case when we play them, we\u2019ll see.
\n\u201cSo yeah, we\u2019ve just got to keep focused on the things we want to and how we want to play. Obviously, it\u2019s nice to be in this position to lead into this game.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner took his 100th one-day international wicket in the ICC World Cup 2023 victory over Afghanistan but admitted it will be a \u201ctough challenge\u201d to even get within touching distance of New Zealand record holder Daniel Vettori. Fellow spinner Vettori, who retired after the 2015 World Cup final, ended his career with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":362716,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-362701","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n