The decision comes with him having played merely 5 Tests since his debut in 2012, the last of which came on the tour of Australia during the 2019-20 summer. In those matches, Astle could not find much success, eventually walking away with just 7 wickets at 52.57.

Astle mentioned that "Test cricket was always the dream", while adding, "Red-ball cricket is the pinnacle, but also requires a huge amount of time and effort. I'm really proud of what I've been able to achieve with Canterbury and the Blackcaps. To have the opportunity to play a Test against Australia at the SCG was an experience I'll always cherish".

Astle, 33, represented Canterbury in first-class cricket and ends his long-form career with an aggregate of 334 wickets at 32.17, having first played for his domestic side in 2005. In addition to that, he accumulated more than four thousand runs in the format with two centuries and 22 fifties.

He had taken the place of the ill left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner at the SCG against Australia earlier this month in what would turn out to be his final Test. His last ODI and T20 for New Zealand, however, come in February and September 2019, respectively.