Twenty20 Cricket World Cup: Black Caps star Daryl Mitchell ready to make return against Sri Lanka

Daryl Mitchell. Photo / Photosport

Daryl Mitchell thought his Twenty20 World Cup could be over before it began, but his fractured finger has recovered well enough to allow him to pull the trigger tomorrow night.

The all-rounder is set to return to the Black Caps middle order for their clash against Sri Lanka at the SCG, three weeks after his hand – and his chances of playing in the tournament – suffered a significant blow.

Mitchell was batting in the nets ahead of this month’s tri-series in Christchurch when he was hit on the glove and left with a fractured little finger on his right hand. The injury kept him out of that series and he missed the Black Caps’ crushing win over Australia last week, but Mitchell counted himself lucky.

Having played a key role opening the batting during New Zealand’s march to last year’s T20 World Cup final, his opportunity to do likewise down the order could have been lost. But Mitchell is instead fit and ready to fire for a Black Caps side looking to take another step towards the semifinals.

”It’s really exciting to be back with the group and be able to play some games again,” Mitchell said. “When the hand injury happened a few weeks ago, I thought my tournament might have been done.

”It was really lucky with where the fracture is in the hand, and to be able to pass all the fitness tests over the last few days in training.”

Those tests involved bowling and fielding – since his right hand is dominant – but batting was the main focus. Mitchell is likely to replace Mark Chapman and the Black Caps will be counting on the type of power that sees him boast a strike rate of 142 in T20Is.

”That’s something I’ve been really lucky with throughout the whole injury – I’ve always had that grip strength, even when the break first happened,” Mitchell said. “We had to make sure we could tick all those boxes, and be really confident that when you get out in the middle you can do a job for your country in a World Cup and try to win games.”

Unlike in the United Arab Emirates, where Mitchell was the match-winner with an unbeaten 72 in the semifinal against England, his job in Australia will be to close the innings. But the 31-year-old, whose international career began in 2019, has found the shift down the order to his liking.

”The cool thing about batting in the middle order is it’s always different,’ he said. “Each innings, you’ve got to adapt to different situations and you’re constantly trying to work out when to pull trigger with the bat and when not to.

”That’s something I really enjoy, batting in the middle order and doing that role. I just love playing for my country, and wherever I’m batting I’m happy to try and do the job.”

Mitchell’s happiness has been enhanced by travelling with his wife and two young daughters, though he concedes “it’s chaos in the hotel room”.

That likely wasn’t helped by being stuck inside while rain in Melbourne saw the Black Caps clash with Afghanistan washed out but, pleasingly for Mitchell and his teammates, conditions in Sydney look fine ahead of a tricky challenge tomorrow.

”Sri Lanka are a dangerous team,” Mitchell said. “You could see that in the Asian Cup a month ago, when they won that, how dangerous they are as a side, beating the likes of Pakistan and India.

”We’re going to have to be on the money and make sure we turn up with the right attitude and the intensity we want to play with.”