With no chances in Australian Test team, off-spinner joins New Zealand's domestic team

"At 6 foot 4 he gets good bounce and revs on the ball so there's assets to that."

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William Somerville
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William Somerville. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

It was Daniel Vettori, who approved the seal and gave green signal to the off-spinner Will Somerville to quit Australian cricket and sign for Auckland Aces to pursue a spot in the Blackcaps. Wellington-born 33-year-old was released early from his New South Wales contract and was confirmed on the Aces’ books when the first round of domestic contracts were announced on Friday.

Somerville was considered as the next one to make it to the Aussie Test team 15 months ago after he picked 35 wickets at an average of 23 for New South Wales in Sheffield Shield. But, the likes of Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe gave him a tough competition and consequently, he played just one first-class match in the last summer.

Auckland Aces coach Mark O’Donnell met the off-spinner when he was in Auckland and seems to be impressed with the bowler, then he got some references from New South Wales batting coach Mark O’Neill, explosive batsman Chris Lynn and Vettori, Lynn’s coach at Brisbane Heat who’d scouted him when he played Twenty20 for Sydney Sixers.

“He [Vettori] said he’s very good, he has some very good skills, and that’s what we require with Tarun finishing,” O’Donnell said as per the quotes on The Dominion Post. “At 6 foot 4 he gets good bounce and revs on the ball so there’s assets to that.”

Somerville also contacted NZ Cricket and the recently resigned NZ head coach Mike Hesson who encouraged him to make the move. Somerville did his schooling in Sydney but his cricketing dream was with New Zealand and played for Otago in 2005 but there were very few opportunities sighting Nathan McCullum’s competition with him. He later returned to Sydney and started to work as Chartered Accountant, where he played grade cricket before New South Wales offered him a contract.

“I stuck at it. I always believed that I had some skills that were going to be good at the next level and I was fortunate enough to get an opportunity,” he told the Daily Telegraph last year.

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