Mitchell Santner: Worcestershire sign New Zealand spinner for third time
- Published
Mitchell Santner made one County Championship appearance for Worcestershire on his last visit in 2017
Worcestershire have signed New Zealand left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner for this summer's T20 Blast.
The 30-year-old all-rounder becomes the county's second Blast signing for 2023 following the pre-Christmas capture of Santner's fellow Kiwi Michael Bracewell.
Santner will be joining Worcestershire for a third time.
He first arrived as a T20 signing in 2016, only to suffer a broken finger., but then returned the following summer.
After making just one County Championship and one T20 appearance before heading back down under in 2016, he played the full T20 season in 2017. But he then also had to bow out of a planned move to Derbyshire in 2018 because of a knee injury.
"Mitchell said how keen he was to return to New Road for another spell," said Worcestershire cricket steering group chair Paul Pridgeon., external "And it did not take long to get everything sorted. We believe signing him and Michael Bracewell will make us a stronger T20 side."
Santner added: "It's great to be coming back to Worcestershire for a third season and to link up with some old friends and faces in the dressing room, as well as some new ones.
"I kept a keen interest in how they did after I left, and it was awesome to win the Blast in 2018 and come so close again the year after. To make that breakthrough was brilliant. Hopefully, I can help them get those successful times back.
"A few New Zealanders have played for Worcestershire since I left, like Martin Guptill and Ish Sodhi, and it will be great to have Michael Bracewell as a team-mate."
Santner has won 24 Test caps for New Zealand, played in 80 T20 internationals and his 87 one-day international appearances include a runners-up medal at Lord's against England in the 2019 World Cup final.
As well as playing for Northern Districts back home in New Zealand's Super Smash, he has also played T20 cricket in the Indian Premier League for Chennai Super Kings, mostly in 2019 and 2022, and for Barbados Tridents in 2020, in the Caribbean Premier League.