Pakistan vs New Zealand 2018: Uncapped Will Somerville Replaces Injured Todd Astle in the Test Squad

New Zealand leg-spinner Todd Astle will miss the remainder of the ODI series against Pakistan along with the Test series to follow due to a knee injury. Meanwhile, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) have named 34-year-old uncapped Will Somerville as his replacement.

The selectors took a safety-first approach with Astle as they are keen to have him for the upcoming summer. Selector Garvin Larsen shared his praise for Astle stating that he has worked hard a lot and is currently in the best possible shape.

“The best course of action for Todd is to get home and get it looked at, with an eye to returning in the home summer,” said Larsen. “He worked really hard over the winter and is in some of the best shape of his career, so for this to happen is a cruel blow,” he added.

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Will Somerville will join the squad for the Test series; however, NZC have not named a replacement for the ODIs.

The uncapped Somerville made his first-class debut for Otago in 2005 but has played just 18 games in 14 years, having recently returned to the first-class arena for New South Wales in Australia.

He then returned to New Zealand at the beginning of this year to earn an international call-up, a move which appears to have paid off.

“We’ve been keeping a close eye on Will and like the look of his all-round game and skill-set,” said Larsen. “He bowls with good control and variation, while his added height means he gets that extra bit of bounce.

“He’s also a handy batsman down the order, as he showed with his half-century in the most recent round of the Ford Trophy. The Test squad already has a leg-spinner in Ish Sodhi and a left-arm spinner in Ajaz Patel, so we think Will’s right arm off-spin will balance out the attack nicely,” he added.