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Trent Boult is set to miss the upcoming Test series against England and New Zealand management hopes the experienced paceman will be fresh and ready to go for the inaugural World Test Championship final.

The left-arm seamer will miss this week’s first Test at Lord’s as a result of being given family leave in New Zealand after returning home following the coronavirus-enforced postponement of the Indian Premier League earlier in May.

Trent Boult will certainly miss the first Test against England next month Getty Images

Trent Boult Is Unlikely To Play 2 Tests Against England: Gary Stead

But Trent Boult will only arrive in the UK on Friday and the priority for the Blackcaps would be to make sure he is ready to play against India in the World Test Championship final against India at Southampton as of June 18, rather than have him play the second Test with England the week before.

“I don’t think you’ll see Trent in the two-Test matches here,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead told reporters on Monday.

“He arrives on Friday, our planning and what we’re looking at doing with Trent is having him ready for the World Test Championship final. He’s been home, he has had a week of bowling over there which has been great after the fair amount of isolation time at the end of the IPL,” he added.

“But our view with Trent right now is it’s unlikely that he will play the Test at Edgbaston. And he’s more likely to be just available for the one-off Test.”

Trent Boult, along with New Zealand trainer Chris Donaldson, who has been with the Kolkata Knight Riders, will spend about a week with their families after undergoing the mandatory two weeks in managed isolation on their return before joining the Test squad in England.

New Zealand coach Gary Stead said that the pacer was unlikely to feature in the 2nd Test against England at Edgbaston before the WTC final, although he himself suggested he had not completely ruled out hope of making an appearance in the 2nd Test.

Earlier, the Mumbai Indians pace spearhead has said he would love to play the remaining matches of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. He picked as many as 25 scalps in only 15 games averaging 18.28 in IPL 2020 at UAE and picked 8 scalps in 7 games in IPL 2021 averaging 27.87 before its suspension.

Trent Boult Is Getting Used To The Dukes Ball For WTC Final

Had the IPL run its full course, Trent Boult would likely have been unavailable for the first Test at Lord’s which starts on June 2 and it may have been tight for the second Test due to quarantine requirements.

Trent Boult is likely to miss both Tests against England before playing the WTC final against India Getty Images

Trent Boult prepares to travel to England to join his teammates ahead of the World Test Championship final against India later this month. The NZ pacer, who has 281 Test wickets at 28.02, has been getting used to the Dukes’ ball that will be used for the WTC final in Southampton and is excited about what it could offer him. His previous four Tests in England have brought him 21 wickets at 23.14.