Right-free image of Mitchell Santner leading the Northern Districts team off the field following his five-wicket bag; mandatory credit: Margot Butcher
NewZealand (MNP) BLACKCAP Mitch Santner has become just the third player to score a first-class century and take a five-wicket bag in the same match for Northern Districts, after his bag in the first session of Day Three at Bay Oval, Mt Maunganui today in the Plunket Shield national championship.
Santner follows in the footsteps of Grand Bradburn (104 and 114/5 v Wellington Firebirds at the Cello Basin Reserve in 2000/01) and Tim Southee (156 and 69/5 v Wellington Firebirds at Karori Park, Wellington in 2012/13) for ND, and also becomes the second player in the Plunket Shield to achieve the rare double this season, after Auckland Aces captain and part-time bowler Robbie O’Donnell scored a century and took his maiden five-for against Canterbury at Hagley Oval in November.
Santer’s double is just the 44th instance in all New Zealand first-class cricket.
Santner took the final Central Stags wicket to fall in the first innings, finishing with a career-best haul of 5/51 off his 26.1 overs, and Brad Schmulian’s top score for the Stags of 108, Schmulian’s fifth first-class century scored in 352 minutes.
The Stags were bowled out for 245 in response to ND’s first innings total of 513, Santner having contributed a career-best with the bat as well, a knock of 136 yesterday, following the centuries from teammates Jeet Raval and Bharat Popli in the same mammoth innings.
The Stags have taken a deficit of 268 on the first innings, and have three early wickets in the ND second innings as the hosts set about adding to their overall lead.
