Despite injuries plaguing him of opportunities, Canterbury leg-spinner Todd Astle is poised to make a return to Test Cricket after winning selection for the upcoming series against Bangladesh.
The 32-year-old has had a rough run-in with injuries in 2018 year, missing out on the second Test against England in June and the tour of UAE last year.
But having made a successful comeback from knee surgery, Astle has been included as the specialist spinner for the upcoming three-Test series against Bangladesh.
His selection means Central Stags spinner Ajaz Patel misses out, despite his contributions to the Black Caps' series win against Sri Lanka in Decemeber.
Left-handed regular Mitchell Santner wasn't considered as he is still going through recovery from his knee surgery, despite a recent appearance for the Black Caps in the ODI series against Bangladesh.
The rest of the Black Caps' Test squad is unchanged from the series win over Sri Lanka - a sign of stability in the side who are on an unprecedented New Zealand Test winning streak of four straight series.
The current steadiness in the squad is pleasing for selector Gavin Larsen.
"One of the hallmarks of this group is how tight they are and we've seen them really galvanise as a tough Test unit over the past few years.
"The spinning position has been the only real area we've changed and that's been largely dependent on conditions and injuries.
"We're in a fortunate position having a number of high-quality spinners available, and it's a tough call on Ajaz who was a star of the UAE tour," said Larsen.
"It's great though to have Todd fit again and we're keen to see what his wrist-spin can offer in New Zealand conditions, and he'll also bolster the batting."
The first Test in the best-of-three series against Bangladesh starts on Thursday in Hamilton, with the final two contests being played in Wellington and Christchurch.
New Zealand test squad to face Bangladesh: Kane Williamson (captain), Tom Latham, Jeet Raval, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling, Colin de Grandhomme, Todd Astle, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult, Matt Henry, Will Young.
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