NEWS
Follow UsTodd Astle, who represented New Zealand in 19 international matches between 2012 and 2021, has confirmed that he’s retiring from all forms of cricket with immediate effect. Astle had quit red-ball cricket in 2020 but continued to play both the white-ball formats, before fully prioritizing T20s mid-2021 onwards. The leg-spinner was a part of the BlackCaps squad that made the final of the 2021 T20 World Cup.
On the back of a successful 2023 Super Smash season, in which he took 11 wickets as his side Canterbury reached the final, Astle confirmed via an Instagram post that he’s decided to step away from the sport.
“Thanks for the memories. Thanks for the experiences, the learning and the growing.Thanks for the adversity, the people and of course the incredible journey it has been,” Astle posted on Instagram.
"It's time to finish as a player after 18 seasons and I can't help but feel so proud of what you've taught and given me. It certainly has been a roller coaster with twists and turns along the way, but that's what makes the game so rewarding.
“I finish still enjoying the game and loving my craft. What an honour it has been to represent NZ as a Blackcap, my beloved Canterbury and also club OBC [Old Boys Collegians]."
A veteran of 119 first-class matches, it was in the Test format that Astle made his debut for the Kiwis, back in 2012 against Sri Lanka in Colombo. There, he picked one wicket across the 31 overs he bowled, with wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene turning out to be his maiden scalp.
Across the next decade, however, the leg-spinner went on to make just four more appearances in red-ball cricket, with his last Test coming against Australia in Sydney in 2020.
Following consistent showings in both the Super Smash and the Ford Trophy, Astle continued to be a fringe member of the Kiwis’ white-ball set-up, 2016 onwards. The presence of Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi, however, meant that Astle’s appearances were limited.
