Despite missing out on a national contract, Sodhi seized his opportunity in Zimbabwe to such an extent he was asked to stay on for the South African leg, where he played one of the Twenty20 internationals and all three one-dayers.
Picked for his wicket-taking ability in the middle overs, six of Sodhi's nine dismissals were top-six batsmen. With so much cricket on the subcontinent, nurturing spin depth is vital, especially with Nathan McCullum turning 35 on Tuesday.
Still, it's unlikely McCullum, who played three ODIs against Zimbabwe, one against South Africa and all the T20s, will be ousted from the set-up. He's the No9 bowler in T20 world rankings, can wield a bat and is sharp in the field. Those assets will be useful with the World T20 in India next March.
3. Can Tom Latham establish himself as a logical alternative opener for McCullum?
Certainly in ODIs but the jury's out for T20Is. Most recently considered an ODI No5 and test opener, Latham averaged 63.60 in six innings at a strike-rate of 80. He had consecutive innings of 64, 60 and 54 against the might of Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander and made a maiden ODI century against Zimbabwe. As a left-hander, he offers variety to an otherwise right-handed first-choice top five before the arrival of Corey Anderson.
4. How has Adam Milne's body recovered after his heel injury?
Milne bowled in excess of 150km/h at times and looked back to his best, albeit as a specific limited-overs option for now. The indications suggested Zimbabwean and South African batsmen were willing to see him out. That is evidenced by four wickets at the best economy rate of 5.07 in the T20Is, and five wickets at 26.8 and the third-best economy rate of 4.46 in the ODIs.
5. How were the pace bowling responsibilities handled without Trent Boult and Tim Southee?
The regular use of two spinners meant these were the most contestable positions and Matt Henry, Mitchell McClenaghan, Doug Bracewell, Adam Milne and Ben Wheeler delivered satisfactory results.
Bracewell and Milne stood out and McClenaghan improved on his efforts in England. Henry struggled the most on flat wickets but an ODI economy rate of 6.05 is still relatively acceptable in the current run-frenzied climate.
6. How does Jimmy Neesham transition back as the key allrounder in Corey Anderson's absence?
He took regular wickets and always batted at a strike-rate better than a run-a-ball. The biggest concern is that he missed the final two ODIs with back pain after missing seven months prior to the tour with a stress fracture.
Colin Munro struggled early but had the makings of a reprieve with 33 off 32 balls and 35 off 44 balls in ODI innings against South Africa. However, he has yet to transfer domestic form onto the international stage.
One more for the experts ...
7. Should Luke Ronchi be persevered with?
Ronchi's batting struggles continue, although his keeping improved on his England form. The 34-year-old has passed 13 only twice in 15 ODI innings since the start of the World Cup and passed five once in three T20I innings.
His role is less based on runs scored than strike-rate, but the latter has also dropped to 110 during that period in ODIs (compared to a career mark of 122) and 113 in T20Is (compared to 145). Expect BJ Watling to loom as a challenger over summer.
