WELLINGTON: Todd Astle, the New Zealand legspinner and Canterbury stalwart, has retired from professional cricket, aged 36, after the Super Smash final last Saturday. Astle had already ended his red-ball career in 2020 and focussed on only limited-overs cricket in the past two years. “Thanks for the memories. Thanks for the experiences, the learning and the growing,” Astle posted on Instagram. “Thanks for the adversity, the people and of course the incredible journey it has been. It’s time to finish as a player after 18 seasons and I can’t help but feel 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).” In his last tournament, Astle took 11 wickets in as many games in the Super Smash at an excellent economy rate of 6.70. Astle’s international highlights include helping New Zealand qualify for the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) final in 2021 with Stead and claiming 3 for 33 on ODI debut against West Indies in Whangarei in 2017. He was also part of the New Zealand T20 squad that reached its first-ever T20 World Cup final, in the UAE in 2021, though he played only the warm-ups in that tournament. Astle made only sporadic appearances for New Zealand — 19 in all across nine years — but enjoyed a more prolific career for Canterbury, playing more than 300 domestic games. For someone who started his Under-19 and domestic career as a batter, Astle leaves as Canterbury’s highest wicket-taker in first-class cricket with 334 strikes.