.jpg) Astle in 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Todd Duncan Astle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1986-09-24)24 September 1986 (age 39) Palmerston North,New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-armleg spin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowling all-rounder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Alec Astle (father) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 257) | 25 November 2012 v Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 3 January 2020 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 193) | 20 December 2017 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 16 February 2019 v Bangladesh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 60 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 68) | 15 January 2016 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 17 November 2021 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I shirt no. | 60 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:ESPNcricinfo,17 November 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Todd Duncan Astle (born 24 September 1986) is a former New Zealandcricketer who played for theNew Zealand national cricket team. Astle began his cricket career as an opening batsman, representing New Zealand in the2006 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, but over time playingfirst-class cricket forCanterbury, he morphed into a bowling all-rounder. He made hisTest cricket debut for New Zealand in 2012 in Sri Lanka, but did not play another international match until 2015. He represented New Zealand in all three forms of the game, but was unable to keep a consistent place in the team in any format because of regular injury problems and competition with other spin bowlers. In January 2020, Astle retired from first-class cricket to focus onlimited-overs cricket.[1] In February 2023 he retired from all forms of professional cricket.[2]
Astle was born inPalmerston North inNew Zealand in 1986, the son of first-class cricketerAlec Astle, who played three top-level cricket matches forCentral Districts in the 1970s.[3][4] Astle began his cricket career as anopening batsman, but over time morphed into anall-rounder with hisleg spin bowling.[5][6]
Astle opened the batting for theNew Zealand under-19s in the2006 Under-19 Cricket World Cup and did not bowl a ball. He finished the cup as the third-highest run-scorer, only behind future Test cricketersCheteshwar Pujara from India andEoin Morgan from Ireland.[6] Astle made his debut for state sideCantebury in the first-classPlunket Shield in December 2005,[7] and for the next four years played primarily as an opening batsman.[6]
Astle was an overseas professional forAberdeenshire C.C. for the 2008 and 2009 seasons, starring with bat and ball.[8] The club had a historic season in 2009, winning the SNCL Premier League and the Scottish Cup.[9][10]
Astle failed to make his mark for Canterbury as a batsman and wasn't able to stay in the team consistently.[6] The turning point of his career came in March 2010. He wasn't even selected to play for Canterbury in a Plunket Shield match againstOtago, but when Canterbury fast bowlerChris Martin was called up to the national team he had to leave the match after two days and Astle was brought into the team to replace him. In the final innings, Astle took his firstfive-wicket haul in a first-class match to help Canterbury win the match by 158 runs.[6][11] In the following2010–11 season, Astle took 37 wickets at an average of 29.08,[12] both becoming Canterbury's best bowler and winning the championship. He followed this up with another strong season in2011–12, taking a further 31 wickets.[6]
In October 2019, during thePlunket Shield match againstWellington, Astle became the first bowler for Canterbury to take 300 first-class wickets.[13] In June 2020, he was offered a contract by Canterbury ahead of the 2020–21 domestic cricket season.[14][15]
Astle was first included in theNew Zealand national cricket team's squad in 2012 when he was named as New Zealand's second spinner for theirtour of Sri Lanka in 2012.[5] He made hisTest debut for the Blackcaps againstSri Lanka on 25 November 2012. He scored 35 runs in the second innings in a key partnership with Ross Taylor of 107. He took his first wicket also in the second innings by removingPrasanna Jayawardene.[16] Rather than this debut being the start of a long career for Astle, he didn't play another Test for years and was just one of a number of spinners to go through the New Zealand Test team during an injury toDaniel Vettori.[17]
For the next three years, Astle did not return to New Zealand's national team in any form of the game.[18] In 2015 he was selected to play forNew Zealand A, and in a first-class match againstSri Lanka A took just the secondten-wicket haul of his first-class career. He took four wickets in the first innings and seven wickets in the second innings to finish with eleven for the match.[19] This performance and a successful2015–16 Ford Trophy put him back into the selection frame for the national team, and in January 2016 he was named in New Zealand's squad for a series ofTwenty20 Internationalsagainst Pakistan.[18] He made his Twenty20 International debut on 15 January 2016,[20] and played in the first two matches of the three-match series. He didn't take any wickets and conceded 41 runs from 4 overs across the two matches, so ahead of the final match he was released from the national squad and returned to playing for Canterbury.[21]
Astle became one of the best players in New Zealand's domestic cricket competitions, both in limited overs cricket[22] and in the Plunket Shield,[23] which gave him opportunities to play more international cricket matches for New Zealand. He returned to the national squad in the 2016–17 summer to replace the injuredMitchell Santner. He was the only specialist spin bowler named to play in atwo-Test series against Pakistan.[24] His selection received praise from Pakistan's coach,Mickey Arthur, who said that Astle was an "interesting choice" and an "attacking spinner".[25][26] Astle played in the first Test of the series, the second of his career, but didn't score any runs and only bowled four overs.[27] He was then included in New Zealand's squad for the2016–17 Chappell-Hadlee Trophy,[28][29] but he did not play a game in the series.[30]
Astle was part of a New Zealand A squad for a tour of India in 2017, and he was the team's best bowler. In a one-day match againstIndia A, he took bowling figures of 4/22, which former Indian Test batsmanRahul Dravid called one of the best leg spin spells he'd seen in Indian conditions.[30] In October 2017, Astle was named in New Zealand'sOne Day International (ODI) squad for their seriesagainst India, giving him a chance to make his ODI debut,[22][31] but during a warm-up match against the Indian Presidents XI he tore his groin just three deliveries into his bowling spell.[30] He was ruled out due to his injury and pulled from the squad.[32][33]
Astle returned home, and once fit again he played his 100th first-class match for Canterbury[30] and was able to re-join the New Zealand ODI squadagainst the West Indies.[34] He finally made his ODI debut for New Zealand on 20 December 2017.[35] His first ODI series was a successful one: on debut he took 3 wickets for 33, using hiswrong 'un well and rarely bowling a poor ball,[35][36] then in the 2nd ODI he scored 49 runs as part of a 130-run partnership withHenry Nicholls, New Zealand's highest ever sixth-wicket partnership against the West Indies.[37][38] In March 2018, he was named in New Zealand's Test squad for their seriesagainst England, replacingMitchell Santner, who was ruled out due to injury,[39] and in a day-night Test match in Auckland he took three wickets in the second innings, leading New Zealand to victory. Unfortunately he also suffered a side strain during the match, denying him the chance to play in the next Test match at his home groundHagley Oval.[23] Regardless, his form in both ODIs and Test matches was enough to give him a contract for the 2018–19 season withNew Zealand Cricket, his first central contract after 12 years of first-class cricket.[23][40][41]
Astle was one of three spinners, along withAjaz Patel andIsh Sodhi, named in New Zealand's squad for aseries against Pakistan, and ahead of the series he played tour matches in the United Arab Emirates for New Zealand A to prepare and fight for a spot in the team.[42] After he played well for New Zealand A he took a few days off to recover from kneecap irritation. He was initially only expected to miss the first ODI against Pakistan,[43] but he was later ruled out of the tour altogether and forced to return home early.[44] Astle recovered from his injury and returned to first-class cricket in New Zealand, where in February 2019, during the2018–19 Plunket Shield season, he became the leading wicket-taker for Canterbury, going pastMark Priest's total of 290 dismissals.[45][46]
Astle returned to New Zealand's national team in February for their home ODI and Test seriesagainst Bangladesh.[47][48] Because of his strong form and Ish Sodhi's struggles, he appeared to be New Zealand's favoured second spinner for the2019 Cricket World Cup alongside Mitchell Santner, but when New Zealand announced their squad in April 2019 they selected Sodhi rather than Astle because Sodhi had more international experience.[49]
Following the World Cup, Astle was among four spin bowlers chosen to play for New Zealand in their Test seriesin Sri Lanka, where he'd made his Test debut seven years earlier.[50][51]
In November 2019, Astle was named in New Zealand's Test squad for their Test seriesagainst Australia.[52] He played in the third Test of the series, taking 3 wickets overall in the match.[53]
Astle was named in New Zealand's T20I squad for their T20I seriesagainst Bangladesh.[54] He only played in the third T20I and finished with his career best T20I figures of 4-13 which included the wickets ofMohammad Naim,Najmul Hossain Shanto,Afif Hossain andMahedi Hasan.[55] In August 2021, Astle was named in New Zealand's squad for the2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, where he did not get a game.[56] He was then selected for a T20 seriesagainst India, and returned with unimpressive figures of 0/34 in 3 overs in the first T20 at Jaipur.