Injury forces Todd Astle out of final England Test
Todd Astle, the New Zealand leg-spinner, has been ruled out of the second and final Test against England, beginning on Friday 30 March, after suffering a side strain during the day-night first Test at Eden Park.
Astle, 31, sustained the injury while bowling in the second England innings, when he returned 3/39, and a subsequent scan confirmed that he needed to be sidelined for the Christchurch Test.
Ish Sodhi, who has featured in 14 Tests so far, has been called up as Astle’s replacement after he returned a career-best match-haul of 12/62 for Northern Districts against Wellington in a Plunket Shield encounter last week.
Three wickets each for Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and Todd Astle in the final innings. Boult finishing with match figures of 9-99. Card | https://t.co/MiIfpeaU9o #NZvENG 📷 = @PhotosportNZ pic.twitter.com/Fk3ww2nFAl
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) March 26, 2018
Astle, who last played in a Test in 2016 before turning out in Auckland, picked up three wickets as New Zealand won by an innings and 49 runs. His strikes included Jonny Bairstow, Craig Overton and James Anderson, the last man.
Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, said the injury was a “cruel blow” to Astle. “Through some incredibly hard work, Todd’s already overcome some injuries this summer," he 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.”