Mitchell Santner Achieves 150 T20I Wickets as New Zealand Triumphs Over India
Mitchell Santner Reaches Historic T20I Milestone
On Friday, New Zealand's spinner Mitchell Santner made history by becoming the third player from his country to achieve the milestone of 150 T20I wickets. He accomplished this feat during the fourth T20I match against India, where he recorded figures of 2 wickets for 24 runs in four overs, dismissing Axar Patel and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Over the course of 142 T20I matches, Santner has claimed 151 wickets with an impressive average of 23.09, including four instances of taking four wickets in a match and his best performance being 4/11. In the current series, he has taken nine wickets at an average of 11.22, with his best figures being 4/21. This year alone, in 20 T20Is, he has secured 21 wickets at an average of 24.58, with a top performance of 4/21. Notably, Santner has surpassed Ish Sodhi to become the leading wicket-taker for New Zealand against India, now holding 32 wickets in 31 T20Is against them, averaging 26.06, with two four-wicket hauls and best figures of 4/11. The record for most T20I wickets for New Zealand is held by Ish Sodhi with 165 wickets in 142 matches, followed closely by Tim Southee with 164 wickets in 126 matches, and now Santner.
New Zealand Dominates Fourth T20I
In the fourth T20I match, New Zealand showcased a dominant performance, highlighted by Jacob Duffy's four-wicket haul and Glenn Phillips' century, leading to an 87-run victory over India in Auckland. This win marks New Zealand's first in the five-match T20I series, which currently stands at 3-1 in favor of India, with one match remaining. Phillips scored an impressive 107 runs off 49 balls, hitting six fours and ten sixes, while Michael Bracewell contributed significantly with 65 runs off just 25 balls, including four boundaries and six sixes. New Zealand posted a formidable total of 259 runs for 7 wickets in their 20 overs, setting a record for the highest total against India. Duffy's bowling performance (4 wickets for 23 runs), along with Santner's (2/24) and Matthew Fisher's (2/40), ensured that India struggled throughout their innings, ultimately being bowled out for 172 runs in 20 overs. Tilak Varma was the standout performer for India, scoring 35 runs off 35 balls, including one four and three sixes.