Surrey have signed New Zealand white-ball captain Mitchell Santner in a bid to finally end their long wait for Vitality Blast success.
Santner has agreed a deal for the first eight group matches of this year’s T20 competition, starting with the tournament opener away to Somerset on May 30.
He will then miss the remainder of the group stage while joining up with New Zealand for their tour of Zimbabwe, but will return for the knockout stages should Surrey qualify.
The dominant force in red-ball county cricket having won three Championships on the spin, Surrey have badly underperformed in the shortest format.
The Three Feathers have suffered semi-final defeats in each of the past two seasons and have not won the Blast since its inaugural edition in 2003.
"Mitch will bring quality and experience to the Surrey side,” said Alec Stewart, Surrey’s high performance cricket advisor. “He’s a proven international cricketer who plays T20 cricket all over the world and has built an excellent skillset.”
Santner took over from Kane Williamson as New Zealand’s white-ball skipper in December, having just starred for the Test side in their historic 3-0 win in India.
The 32-year-old, who has 120 T20I wickets to his name and is also a handy lower-order batter, was part of the Chennai Super Kings side that won the Indian Premier League in 2023. He also has experience of English cricket, having previously played for Worcestershire and Hundred outfit Southern Brave.
“I’m really looking forward to connecting with the players and coaching staff at Surrey,” he said. “I’ve heard quality things about the environment and have thoroughly enjoyed playing at the Kia Oval previously.
“I’ve been fortunate to play against many of the squad so it will be great to share the same changing room and play some entertaining cricket."
