Mitchell Santner: Why 'under-rated' New Zealand spinner exemplifies his team's class

They have a reputation for being cricket's nicest guys - perhaps sport's nicest guys - and on the field, New Zealand's start to this year's Cricket World Cup has been perfection personified.

With four wins from four and sitting pretty at the top of the group-stage table, the side that lost agonisingly to England in 2019's final are carving out their path to the knockout stage of a major tournament once more.

Off the field, though, it has not been all smooth sailing.

Their captain Kane Williamson missed their opening two games to recover from a knee injury, only to fracture his thumb upon his return.

That meant moving Will Young and Rachin Ravindra around in the batting order, while veteran seamer Tim Southee is still on the sidelines with an injury.

But whatever side they put on the park, the Black Caps are ruthlessly professional. Their batters are disciplined yet brutal, their bowlers feisty yet frighteningly accurate.

They rarely drop a catch and their standards never slip. They have brushed aside weaker opponents Afghanistan and the Netherlands in the same manner as they did reigning champions England.

And arguably the man that encapsulates all of New Zealand's attributes is the one that is rarely mentioned in their success.

The under-rated star of cricket's perennial dark horses

Mitchell Santner is New Zealand's Mr Consistent, a reliable spinner but not a flashy one, a key performer without taking the headlines.

He took his 100th one-day international wicket in the Black Caps' crushing 149-run defeat of Afghanistan on his way to figures of 3-39, adding a stunning diving catch to the mix as well.

The 31-year-old is now the tournament's leading wicket-taker, having taken a five-wicket haul against the Netherlands and a vital 2-37 against England in their opener.

"He is one of those players that does fly under the radar," said former England spinner Alex Hartley.

"But this New Zealand side have always believed in him and backed him. To have a left-arm spinner taking the ball away from the right-handed batters is always such a valuable skill to have and he always gets the job done for the team."

Santner, who was cheered throughout by the Chennai fans who watch him every season in the IPL, is one of captain Tom Latham's most valuable assets, the bowler he can turn to whether he needs wickets or control, to attack or defend, and he is a more than useful lower-order batter.

"He struggled with a few injuries earlier this year but he has always felt like one of their key performers," added former New Zealand wicketkeeper Katey Martin on BBC Test Match Special.

"He is quite under-rated in terms of his performances. It sometimes seems to surprise him how much more spin he has been getting in the past 18 months or so, too."

In the BBC's live text coverage of Wednesday's match, reader Dean Reid summed it up perfectly: "Mitch Santner is just one of those players you would want in your side. Takes wickets and great catches, makes runs despite wearing glasses, looks chilled out. All-round good egg."

'A team-first mentality'

New Zealand are in a commanding position to finish in the top four but it is not in their DNA to be complacent.

Their next opponents are pre-tournament favourites and hosts India, considerably their biggest challenge so far, and other strong opposition in Australia, South Africa and Pakistan is still to come.

But whoever stands in their way, they will not change their attitude.

"We've got such a team-first mentality," said batter Glenn Phillips after their victory against Afghanistan, when asked about the reason for the team's success.

"Everyone is working for each other. It's about understanding what I can do for my mates, what they can do for me, and we keep trusting one another."

Few spoke about New Zealand as title contenders before the tournament as they were not at their best in the white-ball series against England that preceded it, and few would have put Santner at the top of the wicket-taking charts either.

But it seems to be working in their favour. They have set out their stall as one of the tournament's teams to beat - not that they would ever boast about it.

New Zealand punching above their perceived weight at a global sporting event? Twas ever thus.