Santner surpasses Sodhi to become New Zealand's most-capped player

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner added another milestone to his illustrious international career on Sunday, becoming the most-capped player in the country's men's T20I history. The left-arm spinner achieved the landmark during the fifth and final T20I against India at Seddon Park in Hamilton, making his 143rd appearance in the shortest format. Santner surpassed fellow spinner Ish Sodhi, who previously held the record with 142 appearances for the Black Caps. Having made his T20I debut in 2015, the 34-year-old reached the milestone after more than a decade of representing New Zealand in international cricket.

Santner now leads the list of New Zealand's most-capped T20I players, followed by Sodhi with 142 appearances. Former fast bowler Tim Southee occupies the third position with 126 matches, while former opener Martin Guptill is fourth with 122 appearances. Daryl Mitchell completes the top five with 109 T20I appearances. The New Zealand skipper has been a consistent contributor with both bat and ball in the shortest format. Across his 143 T20I appearances, Santner has scored 1,117 runs at an average of 20.30, including a highest score of 77 not out. With the ball, he has picked up 151 wickets at an average of 23.09, with best figures of 4/11.

Santner recently reached another significant milestone, becoming only the third New Zealand bowler to claim 150 wickets in men's T20Is. He achieved the feat during the fourth T20I against India on Friday, returning figures of 2/24 in his four overs. He dismissed Axar Patel and Nitish Kumar Reddy during the contest. However, his record-breaking 143rd appearance did not bring another wicket. Santner went wicketless in his four overs in Hamilton, conceding 39 runs during India's innings.