Cricket World Cup: Mitchell Santner, Rachin Ravindra give New Zealand all-round strength as they thrash Netherlands for second straight win | Cricket-world-cup News

Just before the toss, in the sweltering heat of Hyderabad, Kane Williamson strolled into the ground for a pitch-peep. The scant crowd went wild, yelling wildly to gather the attention of the former Sunrisers Hyderabad captain. Williamson acknowledged with a warm wave and their day was already made.The buzz then was whether the recovering-from-injury captain would feature in the match. He did not. But for New Zealand it did not seem to matter, as they rolled over the Netherlands without much strain, trumping them 99 runs, headlined Mitchell Santner’s all-round heroics.
Suddenly, with two thumping wins in as many games, hopes of them walking one step further than they had in the last two editions is swelling. It is not a mere illusion. For, they are getting stronger the day, even without Williamson and seamer Tim Southee.
Against the Dutch, returned their middle-overs enforcer and death-overs destroyer, Lockie Ferguson. Returning from a niggle that had confined him to the bench against England, he produced the usual bark and bite. Though he went wicketless, Ferguson looked the most penetrative of New Zealand’s seamers, pounding the deck as hard as he could. He mostly shaped the ball into the right-hander, but made the odd ball seam away, much to the dread of the Dutch batsmen. After repeatedly being beaten, they started throwing the bat at him, crease-tied, and were beaten for pace.

Even without Southee, the Kiwi pace firm looks fearsome. Trent Boult swung the new ball both ways; Matt Henry hustled them with extra bounce and pace, and bowled the left-handed Vikramjit Singh with a corker. Southee’s spot, even if he is fully fit, would be uncertain. Were there ever any doubt about the quality of this attack, skilled and experienced as they are?

A more pressing concern would have been the form of the spinners. The only special is Ish Sodhi; Mitchell Santner is the typical utilitarian bowler-batsman; Rachin Ravindra is more a batsman than a bowler, though his coaches in Wellington swear that he is a more natural bowler than he is a batsman. Both are typical economy-over-strike rate bowlers, their first purpose is to save runs rather than purchase wickets. Neither have eye-popping variations. Santner has the standard left-arm orthodox spinner’s away-spinner, an undisguised arm-ball (just watch the arm-speed and release). The carrom-ball that he chrened “crack” has hardly been spotted these days.
But he does his job, keeps tight lengths, shuffles pace, keeps the batsman glued to the crease, and on surfaces with an ounce of help, could make the ball grip the surface. He would later elaborate on his craft: “You could be a bit more aggressive on these tracks with a bit more help, especially with the field settings. I had a mid-on up for most of the time. The lines too were more attacking than I would have back home. It’s about adjusting.”
In his first spell — which began in the ninth over — Santner coerced considerable side-spin. The textbook double-bluff fetched the first of his five wickets — he would spin a few away from the New Zealand-born Max O’Dowd and then rip in the snappier arm ball. O’Dowd merely planted his front foot and was duly adjudged leg before wicket. Deception does not come easier.Most Read
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But thereafter, before the wicket-flurry at the death, Santner lost his fabled control that reflects on his overall economy rate of 4.86, often erring on the shorter side. He leaked 5.9 runs an over on Monday, but would take it any day with a five-wicket haul. Besides, he had held himself firmly against an aggressive England (2/37 in 10 overs).

Rachin a revelation
But like a friend standing up for another in duress, Ravindra bowled thriftily and pumped pressure from the other end. He is considerably quicker (with a quicker arm action too) and flatter than Santner, gets more skid but less side-spin. He was wayward against England, conceding 76 in his 10 overs, he gave away 30 less against the Dutch.
The pair furnished ludicrous balance to the team. Ravindra bats at No.3, has scored a hundred and a half-century in two innings, bowled 10 overs in both games and snared two wickets. Santner has picked seven wickets in two games, besides crunching a rope-a-dope 17-ball 36 not out that included a pair of sixes off the last two balls. One breathes top-order stability, the other offers death-over ballast. Williamson would not wait to make his comeback — he would be jumping on his bed, Santner chimes in — and weave a net of invincibility around them.