Trent Boult may have opted out of New Zealand Cricket's (NZC) central contract but he still has the hunger to represent the country in the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023 which will he played in India later this year. Boult took the decision to opt out of central contract last year citing need to spend more time with family and the wish to play franchise cricket around the world. Boult has not made a single appearance in international cricket since T20 World Cup 2022 as the board has persisted contracted players.
"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," Rajasthan Royals (RR) pacer told ESPNcricinfo.
New Zealand came close to winning their maiden ODI World Cup but were denied by hosts England by the barest of margins. The 33-year-old feels that this time around the BlackCaps can go all the way.
"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… One hundred percent, I've got that desire to be out there," the left-arm pacer expressed.
"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," he added.
Boult who has been representing franchises in T20 leagues around the world feels that it is an interesting time for the T20 format.
"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," he said.
In the absence of Williamson, Tom Latham led New Zealand in the limited-overs series against Babar Azam’s side. New Zealand lost four out of five ODIs despite notable performances from players like Daryl Mitchell. If Williamson does not recover in time, Mitchell is likely to play as New Zealand’s no.3 batter in World Cup.
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