Worcestershire Rapids 2023 Vitality Blast signing Mitchell Santner played a key role for Northern Districts, who won the New Zealand Super Smash for the second year running with a seven-wicket win over Canterbury in the final at Christchurch.
Santner, returning to New Road for a third spell, produced a deadly spell of left-arm spin to wreck the Canterbury middle order.
He picked up three wickets in the space of nine balls as Canterbury collapsed from 96-2 to 111-5.
Santner dismissed Leo Carter (37), Mitchell Hay (3) and Cam Fletcher (1) and finished with superb figures of 4-0-16-3 as Canterbury reached 154-6 in their 20 overs.
He then saw Northern Districts over the finishing line with the bat, hitting 22 not out off just 13 balls with three fours.
Santner had suffered a bruised thumb during the Eliminator win over Otago, but it made no difference to his excellent contribution in the final.
He certainly enjoys the Super Smash final and, in 2022, hammered 92 not out off just 40 balls in helping Northern Districts to victory, also against Canterbury.
In the Test arena, fellow New Zealander Michael Bracewell, the Rapids’ other Vitality Blast overseas player this summer, took three wickets in England’s second innings and was the second top scorer with 25 in New Zealand’s second innings.
But his efforts could not stop England from winning the first Test in Mount Maunganui by 267 runs.
Elsewhere, Jack Haynes scored 36 off 43 balls as England Lions (229 all out) went down by 86 runs to Sri Lanka A (315-7) in the second ODI in Colombo.
Haynes again opened the innings and struck five fours in his 43-ball innings before he was second out with the total on 75 in the 14th over.
