New Zealand have received a major timely boost ahead of their opening Test against England, with spin-bowling captain Mitchell Santner declared fit to take his place at Lord\u2019s from June 4. Santner\u2019s availability will be a key factor for a side heading into a three-match series that will demand plenty from its leaders and match-winners.<\/p>\n
The 34-year-old suffered a shoulder problem during the Indian Premier League while playing for Mumbai Indians. He was forced to leave the tournament only a few days later, after the issue first surfaced and then worsened enough to disrupt his schedule.<\/p>\n
At first, Santner was ruled out of the opening Test, but the latest update shows he has recovered in time to be considered for the Lord\u2019s fixture starting from June 4.<\/p>\n
Santner is New Zealand\u2019s white-ball captain and has been central to their balance across formats. Earlier in the year, he captained the team to a runners-up finish in the T20 World Cup held in India and Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n
In terms of on-field impact, he offers more than just overs with the ball. Santner is widely regarded as a high-quality left-arm spinner who can also influence contests with the bat when the match demands it.<\/p>\n
The injury that cut short his IPL campaign began in April when Santner tried to take a catch against Chennai Super Kings. He was pulled from the field amid concussion concerns and the subsequent medical checks.<\/p>\n
After the match, Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene explained the thinking behind the medical protocol at the time. He said Santner appeared to have taken the impact first with his head, followed by his neck and shoulder, and that once he returned he reported feeling dizzy and needed to lie down. While shoulder treatment such as icing was done, the staff remained concerned about his stability.<\/p>\n
Jayawardene added that scans were requested in those circumstances and that they approached the officials to use a concussion substitute. He noted the decision sits with the match referee and umpires, who then permitted Shardul Thakur to come on as the replacement.<\/p>\n
He also acknowledged the nature of the situation for Santner, stating that the batting workload would have to be shared with Shardul Thakur for that game, and expressed hope that it would not be a long setback once Santner recovered.<\/p>\n
With Santner now ready for selection from June 4 at Lord\u2019s, New Zealand have named the following squad for their assignment against England:<\/p>\n
New Zealand have received a major timely boost ahead of their opening Test against England, with spin-bowling captain Mitchell Santner declared fit to take his…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":13428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Mitchell Santner Fit for England Test at Lord\u2019s After IPL Injury","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Mitchell Santner is cleared for England Test at Lord\u2019s after IPL shoulder injury\u2014New Zealand get a timely boost ahead of the June 4 start.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n