Mitchell Santner stars again, Brave win successive men’s Super Smash titles over Kings

At Hagley Oval, Christchurch: Canterbury Kings 154-6 (Cole McConchie 54 off 36, Leo Carter 37 off 36, Henry Shipley 35no off 21; Mitchell Santner 3-16 off 4, Neil Wagner 2-22 off 4) lost to Northern Brave 156-3 off 18 overs (Tim Seifert 51 off 40, Joe Carter 30no off 19; Shipley 2-42 off 4) by 7 wickets.

Mitchell Santner hurt the Canterbury Kings for a second successive men’s T20 Super Smash final, confirming his status as one of the country’s premier white ball cricketers on Saturday.

The Black Caps spinner slammed the brakes on a promising Kings innings with figures of 3-16, to set up Northern Brave’s seven-wicket win in the final in Christchurch, and back-to-back titles. To add the icing, Santner was 22 not out as they cantered home in their chase with two overs to spare.

Last year in Hamilton, Santner blasted 92 not out off 40 balls in the Brave’s win in the decider; this time it was his familiar left-arm spin that did the damage, restricting the hosts to 154-6 when around 175 looked necessary on a good Hagley Oval pitch.

For the Brave it was their fourth men’s T20 title, equal now with Auckland Aces and Wellington Firebirds, and prolonged the Kings’ remarkable T20 title drought which stretches back to the inaugural competition in 2006 when Brendon McCullum and Chris Cairns were in their ranks. It was a third successive defeat in a final for the red and blacks.

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* Super Smash: Mitchell Santner blasts Northern Brave to competition title

Tim Seifert’s 51 off 40 led the way in the chase which had minimal angst for the visitors. Not as destructive as when he was a regular Black Caps opener, Seifert muscled enough deliveries through and over the field to make it comfortable.

Skipper Jeet Raval’s dismissal, lbw to Todd Astle for 22, was controversial with Raval adamant he’d got an edge on the sweep shot. He held his bat up and looked disbelievingly but with no DRS technology in use, the decision stood.

At the innings break it was certainly advantage Brave after Santner suffocated the momentum in the middle stages with his clever changes of flight and pace. His three wickets – including a wonderful outfield catch by Katene Clarke – saw the hosts slump from 96-2 to 111-5, even if Santner appeared to be struggling with a sore left thumb.

Skipper Cole McConchie (54 off 36) hit some long balls – including two giant sixes in one Scott Kuggeleijn over – before Wagner snared him in an excellent final over. Now bound for home in Mt Maunganui to link up with the test side to face England, Wagner swung the ball early and showed good variations late to remind people there’s more to him than red ball bouncer exponent.

Henry Shipley’s unbeaten 35 off 21 at least ensured some respectability, with Canterbury having chosen to bat first in the hope the floodlights would aid swing and bounce for their impressive pace lineup. In the end, they didn’t have enough runs to play with.

The big moment

Leo Carter was building nicely with McConchie when Santner struck first, to a super outfield catch by Clarke. Losing 3-15 in the space of 21 deliveries was a mortal blow to the hosts’ innings.

Best with the bat

McConchie was excellent with wickets falling around him while Seifert was measured and played the vitally paced hand his side needed to get the job done.

Best with the ball

There’s few better in the world, let alone New Zealand, with the white ball than Santner. The lanky left-armer’s return to action after the India tour lifted the Brave and was a huge factor in their late season charge.

The big picture

The white ball focus switches to 50-over cricket for the final round of Ford Trophy on Tuesday. Northern Districts sit second and Canterbury third, so there’s potential for them to meet again within a week, in the qualifying final in Queenstown on Friday.