Santner has played 22 Tests, 72 ODIs and 44 T20Is so far.
Ashwin’s carrom ball has proved to be the nemesis for some of world’s top batsmen, and it is this variation which inspired New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner during a Test match between the two countries in 2016.
In a recent interview with ESPNCricinfo, Santner was asked about his mystery variation named ‘claw’.
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In reply, he said: “I remember we were in India for the Test series in 2016, and [R] Ashwin bowled a few carrom balls and I think he got [Neil] Wagner out with a couple.”
“I just felt like in New Zealand, when a left-hander comes in, you need to be able to make the ball go the other way - something different. I thought I could bring that out and it actually worked pretty well at that time,” he added.
On being enquired how he has been able to keep the variation still a mystery, Santner said: “Throughout the World Cup, I had a sore middle finger. It was quite swollen, so I couldn’t flick it out and had to put it [the Claw] away. I’m definitely going to bring it out this year.
“It’s one of those where you have to keep bowling it because you’re flicking it out. For me, throughout the winter, it’s about bowling it the best way I can and try to disguise it better. The way I bowl, my fingers kind of stick up, so it’s noticeable for the batsmen. So disguising it better is something I’ll work on this winter,” he explained.
Despite the rules not in favour, some finger-spinners including Santner have managed to make a mark in white-ball cricket.
Sharing his views on the same, the Kiwi tweaker said: “A good wrist-spinner is very hard to hit. I guess, for me, on wickets that turn, you can bowl fast into the wicket and it can be difficult to hit. When it’s flat, the subtle variations of a wrist-spinner can be quite challenging for the batsmen whereas the finger-spinners have to use their pace a bit more, flight, and the crease."
“Especially in white-ball cricket, you try to use these or cross-seam - anything in your favour. But still, finger-spinners and wrist-spinners have shown good results, and if you look at the rankings, there are a lot of spinners in the top ten,” he elaborated.