Trent Boult, veteran New Zealand seamer, has revealed that the current T20 World Cup will be his last ICC competition in the shortest format. The left-arm seamer recalled his new-ball combination with Tim Southee and how effective they had been across forms.
For more than a decade, Boult has been undoubtedly New Zealand’s bowling leader across all formats. The seasoned seamer made his T20I debut in 2013 and has 81 wickets at 21.79 each, including a handful of four-wicket hauls.
Overall, Trent Boult’s T20 World Cup performances have been superb. He has 32 wickets in 17 matches and an economy rate of 6.07, ranking second among the tournament’s top ten all-time wicket takers.
Boult, now 34, has only made intermittent appearances in New Zealand international teams since being released from his central contract nearly two years ago.
“This will be my last T20 World Cup”- Trent Boult
Although New Zealand did not make the tournament’s Super Eight, Boult revealed that he still has one final T20 World Cup encounter against Papua New Guinea on Monday.
If this is his final T20 World Cup, the world may have seen the last of him in ODI World Cups as well; the next T20 World Cup is slated for 2026, but the next ODI World Cup is only scheduled for the following year.
“Speaking on behalf of myself, this will be my last T20 World Cup. I look at the partnership with Tim with very fond memories. We bowled a lot of overs together. I know the partnership very well, and obviously he’s a very good friend on and off the ground. It was nice to wind back the clock a little bit and see a bit of swing bowling at the top. Some great memories, and hopefully a couple more still to come,” Trent Boult said in a press conference.
The BlackCaps have had a difficult time at the T20 World Cup, losing to Afghanistan and the West Indies. As a result, they were unable to advance to the tournament’s Super Eight stage.
The confirmation that Trent Boult will not play in another T20 World Cup highlights the future of New Zealand’s aging lineup. Only three of the players in this group will be under the age of 30 when they return home.
It’s easy to wonder if this marks the start of a transition era for New Zealand, especially after they failed to advance out of their group. New Zealand has reached the semi-finals of every ODI and T20 World Cup since 2015.
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