Kiwis rope in Astle for T20 series against Pak

All-rounder Todd Astle has been called in the New Zealand Twenty20 squad for the upcoming series against Pakistan.

The 29-year-old, who played one Test in 2012 against Sri Lanka, is yet to play a limited-overs game.

Reflecting on his inclusion, coach Mike Hesson said that Astle had been performing consistently for his domestic side Canterbury so they decided to give him a try ahead of the World T20.

"With the spin friendly conditions we're likely to play in during the ICC World Twenty20 in India, it's important we have all of our bases covered. Todd is certainly an option for us. He has been a consistent performer for Canterbury over a number of seasons," Hesson said.

With Astle's inclusion, Ish Sodhi, who appeared in three of the five ODIs in the series against Sri Lanka, has been left out from the 13-man squad.

Meanwhile, all-rounder Mitchell Santner has also been named in the New Zealand squad while Nathan McCullum and Tim Southee have been ruled out of the T20 series due to their injuries.

New Zealand will play three-match T20 series against Pakistan, starting from January 15.

New Zealand T20I squad: Kane Williamson (captain), Corey Anderson, Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (first game only), Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Ross Taylor.