New Zealand squads announced for Sri Lankan tour

With Daniel Vettori ruled out due to injury and Tarun Nethula axed, leg spinning all rounder Todd Astle is the only new cap in the Black Caps' 15 man squads to tour Sri Lanka. Martin Guptil and Doug Bracewell have been rested for the limited overs legs, with Bracewell to work on some technical issues in his bowling action over his break.


Test squad Martin Guptill, Rob Nicol, Daniel Flynn, Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor (capt), Kane Williamson, James Franklin, Kruger van Wyk, Doug Bracewell, Tim Southee, Todd Astle, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult, Jeetan Patel, Chris Martin.

ODI and Twenty20 squad Rob Nicol, Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor (capt), Kane Williamson, BJ Watling, James Franklin, Jacob Oram, Tom Latham, Nathan McCullum, Andrew Ellis, Kyle Mills, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Ronnie Hira, Adam Milne.

Cricinfo have a pretty decnt interview with Chris Harris up too
http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/586096.html

(though they don't mention his fast food franchise going bust )

How's Todd Astle as a player? His stats do not suggest a great deal, pretty average with the bat and just ok with the ball. What kind of a leggy is he? NZ pitches may not have a lot of help for spin, but does he look the type who can turn it?

msp83 wrote:How's Todd Astle as a player? His stats do not suggest a great deal, pretty average with the bat and just ok with the ball. What kind of a leggy is he? NZ pitches may not have a lot of help for spin, but does he look the type who can turn it?

He's been touted as a prospect for a long time (age group sides, the academy at Lincoln etc) but struggled to kick on (a bit like Adil Rashid in that respect_. I don't think he's a huge turner of the ball, though as a wrist spinner he'll get his share of turn in the right conditions - remember that historically (pre-Warne) wrist spinners tended to be late developers. I doubt he'd have made the side on bowling alone. That said, for a New Zealander he's played a lot of first class cricket for his age - 55 matches by 26, remembering that the provinces only play 10-12 FC games a year.