Todd Astle, the New Zealand legspinner, will miss the second and final Test against England in Christchurch because of a side strain. Ish Sodhi will join the squad as Astle’s replacement on Wednesday.
Sodhi’s last Test appearance came in Kanpur, during the 2016 tour of India, but as the only spinner in this squad, he stands a strong chance of adding to his tally of 14 Tests. Recent form is in his favour as well, with the 25-year old picking up a career-best 12 for 62 over the course of this week at the Plunket Shield. Sodhi claimed 7 for 30 on the first day of Northern Districts’ first-class game against Wellington at the Basin Reserve. He followed it up with 5 for 32 in the second innings to help seal a resounding victory.
Gutted for Toddy Astle on the back of a great performance, hard act to follow for sure. Excited to join the @BLACKCAPS on the back of a Test win.
— Ish Sodhi (@ish_sodhi) March 28, 2018
Astle picked up 3 for 39 in the recently concluded day-night Test at Eden Park, which New Zealand won with only about an hour left to the close of play on the fifth day. The coach Mike Hesson had praised the 31-year old’s efforts as part of a performance where they ground England out.
“Through some incredibly hard work, Todd’s already overcome some injuries this summer, so for this to happen now is a cruel blow,” Hesson said. “Todd played a major role in helping us win the game at Eden Park, so it’s disappointing for Todd and the team that he’s forced to the sideline ahead of Friday.”
This is the second time in the season that Astle has suffered an injury to miss out on selection. In September last year, he suffered a groin strain to be ruled out the limited-overs series in India, and was subsequently replaced by Sodhi.
More to follow
Source: ESPN Crickinfo