Mitchell Santner becomes New Zealand’s most-capped T20I player with 143 appearances

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner created history on Sunday by becoming his country's most-capped player in men's T20 internationals. The left-arm spinner achieved the milestone during the fifth and final T20I against India at Seddon Park in Hamilton.

Santner made his 143rd appearance in the shortest format for New Zealand, surpassing fellow spinner Ish Sodhi, who previously held the record with 142 matches. The 34-year-old made his T20I debut in 2015 and has represented the Black Caps in the format for more than a decade.

Mitchell Santner surpasses Ish Sodhi in New Zealand T20I appearances

Santner now tops the list of New Zealand’s most-capped players in men’s T20Is, with Sodhi occupying second place with 142 appearances. Former fast bowler Tim Southee is third with 126 matches, followed by Martin Guptill with 122 appearances. Daryl Mitchell completes the top five with 109 T20I matches.

The milestone reflects Santner’s long-standing role in New Zealand’s T20I setup, where he has contributed with both bat and ball.

In 143 T20I appearances, Santner has scored 1,117 runs at an average of 20.30, with a highest score of 77 not out. With the ball, he has taken 151 wickets at an average of 23.09, with best figures of 4/11.

Santner reaches 150 T20I wickets

Santner recently achieved another significant milestone by becoming the third New Zealand bowler to take 150 wickets in men’s T20Is. He reached the landmark during the fourth T20I against India on Friday, finishing with figures of 2/24 in four overs after dismissing Axar Patel and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

However, his record-breaking appearance in Hamilton did not yield a wicket. Santner conceded 39 runs in his four overs during India’s innings.

India post 191/8 in fifth T20I against New Zealand

India, having already secured an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series, were asked to bat first after New Zealand captain Santner won the toss.

The visitors suffered an early setback as Abhishek Sharma fell for one run and Sanju Samson was dismissed for four. Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer then steadied the innings with half-centuries, adding 93 runs for the third wicket.

Kishan scored 61, while Iyer contributed 50. Naman Dhir added 33 runs and Nitish Kumar Reddy chipped in with 22 as India finished their innings at 191/8.

Adam Milne led New Zealand’s bowling attack, claiming four wickets for 19 runs in his four overs. Nathan Smith and Blair Tickner picked up two wickets each as the hosts restricted India to below the 200-run mark.