The cue was in how umpire Paul Wilson made way at square leg. Eyes not on the ball swirling down but on Mitchell Santner’s outstretched left hand on the edge of the circle. There perhaps wasn’t a more honorable way to put an end to that clumsy pull shot from Hashmatullah Shahidi.
That stunning take from Santner came as early as the 14th over of the run-chase. It stood out for its physics, the telegenics, the thrill and the reaction it evoked from a 15,000 strong crowd at Chepauk. But coming parallel to Afghanistan’s fielding effort, it was also so much more on the day. That one catch truly told the teams apart, screaming what really was the difference between the sides: the fielding.
It isn’t to say that Afghanistan would have won had they taken all their catches. Or that they wouldn’t have been 139 all-out. Or that New Zealand wouldn’t have won with over 15 overs to spare. But a better fielding effort from Afghanistan would have surely provided a more even footing to judge the teams from. The glimpses were there that the void between the sides isn’t quite as huge as it looked on the day, not certainly in conditions that were on offer, but it all finished not with a bang but a whimper.
There was so much potential here: Afghanistan coming into the game after that – yes, that – win. And coming in armed with two spinners who can be matchwinners on any given day. And coming in to play in Chennai where spinners are matchwinners on most given days. And coming up against New Zealand, who have looked flawless so far but the clock is ticking for the law of averages to catch up. It was all truly set up but once Afghanistan dropped those four catches (five if you ask some), the writing was on the wall.
For head coach Jonathon Trott though, the day felt far too familiar.
“I would say that it’s not the pressure. I think it’s been happening a bit too much recently as well since I’ve been in charge,” Trott said after the game. “So, if you look at the statistics, unfortunately the side is right at the bottom with regards to catching. So that needs to improve and I think it’s something we’ve worked really hard on in training. We just need to do it in games now.
“We would have been in an even better position had we held on to those catches. But it wasn’t to be and unfortunately, we have to go home regretting those tonight.”
Trott reckoned that not doing the simple basics right “exposed” the team in their fixture against New Zealand.
“I think that the only thing really stopping this team is doing the basics really well and consistency. So, if we had taken our catches and put New Zealand under pressure like we should have, I think you’d be looking at – not saying it would have changed the results as a fact – but you would have been looking at a very different performance. And that starts with the mindset of doing the things that seem really simple, but doing those day in, day out, regularly, and religiously. It’s always standing in good stead, because they’re generally the things that will look after you when you’re out there under pressure. And that’s what’s exposed us today, unfortunately.”
While Santner’s effort was beyond the realms of “basic” that Trott spoke of, what went a bit under the radar was the sexy dives that the fielders from New Zealand put in under the lights. Matt Henry’s full-bodied effort comes to mind, when he used his entire height to dive to his right at mid-off and saved a couple of runs, and that’s really just scratching the surface. New Zealand’s effort on the day went deeper but Santner’s take wrapped it up in a moment and put the spotlight on it.
“Yeah, I didn’t think I was going to get there at the start, but I guess lucky for me I’ve got very long arms and was able to kind of pluck it out,” Santner reflected on his effort. “So yeah, I was obviously happy it stuck and it was quite a key time of the game and I think Lockie’s kind of expression said it all. I think it was more of a surprise I caught it versus a great catch. So, I might have to have a word.”
