Trent Boult of New Zealand. File
| Photo Credit: Kerry Marshall
Having opted out of a New Zealand contract, pacer Trent Boult still has a “big desire” to play the ODI World Cup in India later this year and has seen “little bit of movement” in that direction of late.
Boult gave up his New Zealand contract last August to spend more time with family and continue playing franchise cricket around the world.
The 33-year-old has not been picked for the national team since the T20 World Cup last year with the selectors preferring to give contracted players more opportunities.
“I’ve still got that big desire to play for New Zealand. It is what it is: I’ve made my decision. I’ve been lucky enough to have a 13-year career in the Black Cap and hey, I’ve still got a big desire to play in the World Cup as well.
“We’ll see how that unfolds: there’s still a bit of movement in the landscape at the moment,” Boult told ESPNcricinfo on the sidelines of his IPL stint with Rajasthan Royals.
New Zealand had come up agonisingly short in the 2019 World Cup final against England but Boult feels his team has a good chance of going all the way in the ICC event scheduled in October-November.
“I remember after the 2019 final, I said to Kane [Williamson] that we’ve got to be there again, come 2023 in India. It’s a shame with what’s going on with his knee but he’ll be working as hard as he can to try and get there. It’s such a great tournament… 100%, I’ve got that desire to be out there,” he said referring to the injury Williamson suffered at the start of IPL.
“We’re a great one-day side. We’ve got some players that have travelled to India and experienced the conditions a lot, and that’s what it comes down to in World Cups. You can’t buy experience, and you can’t replace players that have toured for however many years across these conditions.”
The mushrooming leagues around the world has made the calendar busier than ever. Boult, who plies his trade in leagues around the world, said it will be interesting to see how the calendar looks in couple of years.
“It’s an interesting time for both franchise and international cricket, I reckon. The leagues — there’s a lot of movement happening in that space, but the golden question is what it’s going to look like in a couple of years.”
