WATCH: Kiwi all-rounder Mitchell Santner pulls off one-handed stunner against UAE in 1st T20I

Mitchell Santner takes a stunner against UAE in 1st T20I (Source: Twitter)

New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner pulled off an incredible catch of his own bowling during the first T20I of the three-match series against UAE on Thursday, August 17 in Dubai. Santner's brilliant fielding effort was one of the highlights of the Black Caps' 19-run win that helped them take a 1-0 lead.

The southpaw's extraordinary display of athleticism was witnessed in the 7th over of UAE's chase of 156. Middle-order batter Asif Khan failed to read Santner's short delivery correctly and chipped the ball in the air. The Kiwi spinner dived full length to his right and grabbed a one-handed screamer to send back Asif for 13 runs. The catch resulted in New Zealand picking up their third wicket and left UAE struggling at 62 for 3.

Watch the video below: 

One of the finest catches in history!

Mitchell Santner with a screamer off his own bowling...!! pic.twitter.com/HmQx6WTffm

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 19, 2023

UAE opener Aryansh Sharma's lone fight went in vain 

Although UAE lost the match, they managed to give the visitors a scare. The home team got off to a disastrous start as Kiwi skipper Tim Southee took two wickets inside three overs. But opener Aryansh Sharma counter-attacked to give his team some hope. The wicket-keeper batter was going well after hitting his maiden fifty (60 off 43 balls), but James Neesham came into the attack and dismissed him.

From this point, New Zealand took complete control of the game and eventually won the game by 19 runs. While Santner and Neesham took two wickets each, Southee, the main destroyer, finished with a five-wicket haul. The skipper was also named Player of the Match for his magnificent figures of 4-0-25-5.

"It was a good game of cricket and we expected this, they are a good side. They are improving. ILT20 coming and their youngsters coming and expressing, it's a good sign. To play in these hot conditions and experience these conditions similar to India is a good thing leading up to the World Cup," Southee said in the post-match presentation.

Earlier, after being put into bat first, New Zeland posted a respectable total of 155-6 on the back of Tim Seifert’s 55 off 34 deliveries and Rachin Ravindra’s quickfire 21 not out off 11 balls. Junaid Siddique and Basil Hameed took two wickets each for UAE. The second T20 will be played at the same venue on Saturday, August 19.