Craig Preferred In Long Form To Sodhi

An injury to Mitchell Santner has opened the way for Mark Craig to receive a Test recall.

Santner's been ruled out of the first Test against Australia in Wellington starting on Friday due to the same foot injury that kept him out of the Chappell-Hadlee series-winning victory in Hamilton.

Coach Mike Hesson said Craig is the better Test option for them, as opposed to Ish Sodhi who was man of the match in Hamilton.

"Ish has certainly showed that he's a better white ball bowler at the moment than he is a red ball bowler, and that's certainly something that he's working on and will continue to do over time."

Sodhi has no ill-feeling about again missing out on a place in the test squad.

"He's (Craig) has bowled really well for us in test cricket for a decent period of time now and it's nice to see he's got some form in the Plunket Shield, and I wish him all the best."

"He's been bowling really well and I'm really happy for him," Sodhi added.

Mark Craig averages 44.21 with the ball in tests, but has in the past picked up big hauls and sparked collapses. In his most recent outing, he picked up a five wicket bag for Otago against Wellington in the Plunket Shield.

Sodhi by contrast averages over 50 with the ball in tests, and has struggled to produce match defining performances. His First Class returns have also been modest, but he is capable of bowling at a good economy rate in limited overs cricket.

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