Next in our series on the origin stories of elite cricketers, Jo Harman meets the son of an All Black who has carved out a remarkable career in his own right

DARYL MITCHELL

At the halfway stage of New Zealand’s 2021 T20 World Cup semi-final chase against England, Daryl Mitchell was threatening to lose the match for his side. Having been promoted to open on the eve of the tournament, a role he’d never filled at international level, the all-rounder steered the Black Caps to victory in their group-stage encounter with India but had otherwise struggled for fluency.

That theme continued in the semi-final in Abu Dhabi, Mitchell mustering a solitary boundary in the first 10 overs as New Zealand’s target of 167 appeared increasingly out of reach. With eight overs remaining, the makeshift opener had crawled to 28 from 27 balls and the Kiwis required almost 11 runs per over to qualify for their first T20 World Cup final. Watching from the stands was Daryl’s father, John, a former All Blacks loose forward and head coach.

“I love watching cricket but I don’t enjoy watching my son,” John tells WCM. “It’s a hard sport to watch, you know? One mistake and they’re gone. And that innings was difficult. He didn’t seem to be timing the ball. But sometimes you’ve got to fight through those ugly periods and present yourself with the opportunity. He put together a couple of partnerships and that changed the whole energy of the match.”

Daryl finally released the shackles by hitting Adil Rashid for a straight six and the entrance of Jimmy Neesham, who blitzed 27 in 11 balls, turned the match on its head. Daryl hit Rashid for another six before dispatching Chris Woakes for 19 in the space of five deliveries to seal victory with an over to spare. He finished unbeaten on 72 from 47 balls, the unlikely hero from a breathless, smash-and-grab win.