Daryl Mitchell: The âPonting-esqueâ pull and a promising Test future
âThatâs Ricky Ponting-esqueâ, quipped Darren Gough on air as another well controlled pull from Daryl Mitchell raced to the boundary en-route to a monumental 190 in the first innings at Trent Bridge.
Thatâs quite a compliment for a batter just into his 11th Test, who himself idolised the former Australia great during his childhood. The stroke has been a recurring feature in the ongoing series, regardless of the field and the bowling personnel.
A few hours after Goughâs remark, as another Mitchell innings would progress with no shortage of fluency, Michael Atherton would assess how he mustâve mastered the shot - A 15-year-old Daryl had moved to Perth with his father John, who was a former New Zealand rugby union player and later became an accomplished coach. Mitchell would sharpen his batting skills at the Scarborough Cricket Club in the outskirts of the city, under the guidance of former Australia great Justin Langer.
The shot characterises intent in many ways, and has been the key ingredient to the rise of Mitchell - the all-format batsman, who also bowls gentle medium pace. There was no shortage of it when the tall right-hander, in his finest hour in white-ball cricket yet, powered New Zealand to the final of the T20 World Cup 2021 with a 42-ball 72* against England in Abu Dhabi last November.
There was a swat downtown off a back-of-a-length delivery from Mark Wood and three Shane Watson-like short-arm lofts over long-on and cow-corner - first off Adil Rashid, the latter two off Chris Woakes - amidst Jimmy Neeshamâs brilliant onslaught. A waist-high full-toss would later be pulled to the long-leg boundary to prompt arms aloft and a roar in celebration.
Oh, and there was a Spirit of Cricket Moment of the Year too - how typically New Zealand!
đ¨ "Itâs something that we pride ourselves on as New Zealanders."
â ICC (@ICC) February 2, 2022
Daryl Mitchell joined an elite list of names that includes Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson to become the fourth Kiwi to win the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award đ
More đ https://t.co/RKcgvwwAob pic.twitter.com/i0oXA1RCdv
Nine months earlier, he had registered unbeaten scores of 12 and 100 in his only two ODI outings till date - both against Bangladesh - the latter of which lifted his side from 120/4 in the 23rd over to an eventual score of 318/6 to set up a massive 164-run win, which also completed a 3-0 whitewash.
With the ball, he has bagged six T20I wickets at 20.17 - featuring a match-winning spell including wickets of Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni three years ago.
However, itâs the toughest version of the game in which Mitchell has left the most significant impression in a scattered international career that had begun in February 2019. Given the sporting genes and upbringing, itâs unsurprising that Mitchell has already shown sparks of all-round sporting genius in a fairly short international career for a 31-year-old.
His first-class average before his Test debut in late 2019 stood in early 30s, and the surges and dips would follow thereafter. An injury to Colin de Grandhomme helped him to a maiden Test cap in Hamilton, wherein he scored a patient 73 from No.7 after having walked in at 5/191.
However, despite a hundred against Pakistan and a couple of fifties from his first nine Tests - spread over two-and-a-half years - and a fifty in the second warm-up game late last month, he wasnât a certain starter in the Lordâs Test, before an unfit Henry Nicholls made the way.
Two weeks later, Mitchell has leapfrogged a staggering 33 spots in the Test Batting rankings to No.17 - the second best for Blackcaps currently, after Kane Williamson (No.4). Thatâs ahead of Azhar Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Nicholls, Ben Stokes, Tom Latham, Devon Conway and Cheteshwar Pujara among others for now.
Itâs worth noting that much like Trent Boult, he found himself straight into the Test fold not long after having featured for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2022. He could manage just 33 off 44 from two innings combined then, but was quite a hit off the field for his on-camera antiques.
The Dhoom Dhadaka gang has three new members! đ¤đđ#RoyalsFamily | @JimmyNeesh | @dazmitchell47 pic.twitter.com/cAoh0yvFX5
â Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) May 18, 2022
That relaxed, funny side surfaces often, as it did on Day 4 of the Trent Bridge resulting in a comical overthrow. But donât let that overshadow a determined competitor and an emotional sportsperson within!
There was a bit of nostalgia and reminiscence when he got his name onto the prestigious Lordâs Honours Board last week. During one of the family's several international trips, John would drive his kid around the Home of Cricket while travelling between London and Manchester during his coaching stints with English rugby sides, Sales and Wasps.
âI felt emotional, and I still remember we used to drive past [Lordâs] and all of that as a little kid. I think I was about five years old, so it was pretty cool,â he recalled while chatting to stuff.co.nz last year.
That was after he had been roped in by Middlesex for the T20 Blast 2021 to find himself playing at the historic venue. Within less than a year, a free-flowing cover-drive off Stuart Broad would get him to a brilliant second Test ton thatâd be celebrated with great passion.
A typical New Zealand humility and level-headedness reflected in the reaction: âIâll cherish that for the rest of my life, Iâve got a pic with my family that weâll frame. My place in the dressing room was just under the honours board with some of the greats of the game. I donât think I deserve to be there with them. But itâs something Iâll savour forever.â
Ready to be written in gold âď¸âŁâŁ
â Lord's Cricket Ground (@HomeOfCricket) June 4, 2022
âŁâŁ#LoveLords | #ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/0nvixIjCnk
The innings offered New Zealand a fair chance to claim their second Test win at Lordâs in the 19th attempt, lifting them to help set a 277-run target after they had been bundled out for 132 on Day 1, before sinking to 56/4 in their second dig. However, Joe Root put on another masterclass in a barely believable imperious run to extend the wait further.
At Trent Bridge, he was New Zealandâs last wicket to fall in an innings of 553, which stood at 169/4 at one stage. His partner in crime was Tom Blundell yet again, whoâd follow his 96 at Lordâs with a gritty 106 - an able successor to the extremely resourceful BJ Watling? The promising returns thus far certainly ignite hope.
If Mitchellâs Lordâs innings showcased toil and grit, Trent Bridge was all about counter attack in a flowing display - which included a six that spilled a beer in the crowd. Unsurprisingly, an apology followed.
He was the lone man standing as New Zealandâs lower-order crumbled in the second innings, but a patient 61 helped setting a challenging 299-run target. Alas, another Yorkshireman would claim the honours with a jaw-dropping display for the ages.
Bairstowâs theatrics were edge of the seat stuff, characteristic of the modern-day fast-tracked fluidity in the game, rubbing even on its most traditional format. Mitchell was perhaps more conventional in his three masterly knocks so far, and heâs surely capable of producing a blitz should the need arise. New Zealand wonât complain, however the runs flow, as long a Test average nearing 60 in a fairly short career yet doesnât take a significant dip.
As of now, Mitchell has 373 runs at 124.33 from four innings in the ongoing series. Only Martin Donnelly (462 in 1949), Bert Sutcliffe (432 in 1949) and Martin Crowe (380 in 1994) better that count for New Zealand batters for most runs in a Test series in England - often a determinant of quality and potential for batters outside of the UK. He potentially has two chances (at least one) to climb further up, perhaps even to the top.
Each of those three turned out to be legends in their own right, and Mitchell might just have shown enough promise to be a constant all-format presence for the Blackcaps.
Can he, Blundell and co, match the brilliance of Crowes, Astles, Styris, McCullums and the Taylors of the past? For now, the current World Test Champions are certainly blessed with quality personnel at their disposal, with Williamson and Tom Latham being the torchbearers. And we are blessed to enjoy and marvel while it lasts.