Cricket: Santner looks to follow on with the bat

Mitchell Santner's batting will be key to his development as a test cricketer this summer. Photo:@photosport.nz

Mitchell Santner benefited most among the seven Black Caps who featured in Northern Districts' eight-wicket Plunket Shield loss to Auckland this week.

In the first innings the left-hander gritted out 55 runs from 138 balls in 184 minutes, including nine boundaries as part of ND's 148.

He came to the wicket at 15 for two in the seventh over with the ball moving on and off a well-thatched pitch.

His patience was key in building a 65-run partnership with Kane Williamson for the third wicket which saved the hosts from major embarrassment after getting sent in.

In the second innings he contributed 53 from 122 balls in 164 minutes, hitting another nine boundaries as he tried to keep ND in the game.

As a player who averages 26 from 15 tests and 29.89 from 39 first-class matches, Santner's ninth and 10th half-centuries should instil more confidence as he looks to complement his left-arm orthodox spin by maturing as an all-rounder.

Santner quelled the temptation to give the ball a lash in the wake of the limited overs tour to India.

"Getting back here, the pitches are a bit greener and we're faced with a red ball, so I was trying to apply myself for a period of time against a pretty good attack. Hopefully that's a good sign going into the tests against the West Indies.

"They [Auckland] set good fields and nibbled it around a bit. It was good to spend some time in the middle, coming from white ball cricket on very different surfaces in India where you don't block too many.

"It was a hard surface [at Seddon Park] to throw your hands through the ball. I got through a couple of rough patches where we weren't really going anywhere. It helped having Noss [Williamson] at the other end with a clear head who would come down after a few dot balls to say 'it's okay', and go on from there."

The 25-year-old's two test half-centuries have come in the last 14 months with 71 in the loss against India at Kanpur and 73 in the victory over Bangladesh at Wellington.

Santner's average is relatively strong by New Zealand standards for someone who has batted all but one of his 18 test innings as a No6, 7 or 8.

On one side of him in the New Zealand annals he has Adam Parore (26.28 from 128 innings) and Jeff Crowe (26.24 from 65 innings); on the other are Ian Smith (25.56 from 88 innings) and Roger Twose (25.12 from 27 innings).

By way of all-rounder comparisons, consistent form in this summer's four tests could see him threaten the territory of Sir Richard Hadlee (27.16 from 134 innings) and Daniel Vettori (30.15 from 172).

However, his two first-class centuries came in 2013-14 and 2014-15, so application is required.

"Ideally, I'd score more runs because, as a spinner in New Zealand, there's not too much there for you [in the pitch] until later on. It can be more of a defensive role while seamers go at the other end.

"If I'm not going to bowl too many overs then my batting becomes more important, so I want to progress it."

The first test against the West Indies starts on December 1 in Wellington.