Ish Sodhi has not played ODI cricket since May 2017

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

New Zealand have added spinner Ish Sodhi into their squad for the first two ODIs of the five-match series against England, which begins on Sunday in Hamilton.

Sodhi, who last played ODI cricket in May 2017, is the third spin option in the squad, along with Mitchell Santner and Todd Astle.

New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen revealed that with Santner and Astle having been prone to injuries as of late, Sodhi’s inclusion bolsters the side and the spin department in particular.

“Both Mitchell and Todd have had injury concerns recently, so having Ish travel with us gives further options in the spin department,” Larsen said in a release by New Zealand Cricket (NZC).

New Zealand have won their last eight ODIs, which include beating the West Indies 3-0 and whitewashing Pakistan 5-0, Larsen is eager to see the Black Caps maintain their momentum against a strong England side, who crushed Australia 4-1 in their most recent ODI assignment.

“Having won the previous eight matches, we’ve been able to keep good consistency in selection with our ODI squad,” he said. “We still have a number of guys pushing their case in domestic cricket and that’s pleasing, but this is the squad for the first two matches of the series.”