Australia v New Zealand | Boxing Day Test: 3 observations from Day 1

#3 Kiwis lack a quality spinner

Mitchell Santner struggled on a Day 1 pitch

It’s always been tough for overseas spinners Down Under and this was once again the case for left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner. There was something in the pitch for the spinners but Santner didn’t make use of it as he erred in lines and lengths and was punished by Australia’s batsmen. Even though it was a day one wicket, it is expected from a quality spinner to keep things under control in terms of runs but Santner was expensive. The tweaker didn’t give his skipper Kane Williamson enough confidence as he bowled only 7 overs off the 90 for the day.

The quality of spin bowling options is a big concern for the No.2 Test side in the world. Santner can be a good white ball bowler when batsmen are going after him but it becomes tough for him in this format. The famous cricketing cliches say, ‘Don’t judge the wicket until both sides have batted on it’. So lets wait for Nathan Lyon as to how he goes about with his off-spin on this track.