Trent Boult, a seamer for New Zealand who plays one-day international cricket, is looking forward to competing in the World Cup for the third time after suffering heartbreaking losses in the previous two finals in the 50-over format.
The 34-year-old is widely regarded as one of the top one-day international bowlers in the world; yet, he has been inactive for the Black Caps for the last year since he rejected a contract offer from New Zealand Cricket in order to play for more lucrative Twenty20 clubs in Australia, the United States, and India.
Boult took a chance when he put his international career on hiatus so he could spend more time with his young family. However, after signing a casual-playing deal with New Zealand cricket bosses, Boult is now in the running to play in the One-Day International World Cup in October.
“I fully appreciated the fact that in giving my contract back, you open the door for other players,” he added. “It’s a win-win situation.” “The choice was completely formed around the concept of spending a lot of time away from home.
“Earning a spot in the World Cup was never a certain conclusion. Because I had to put in effort to get it, I am quite grateful to be here.
Boult has high expectations that the Black Caps can do well in India, “like we have in the last couple of attempts,” which would help New Zealand achieve their goal of reaching a third consecutive final.
Since his comeback to international cricket at the beginning of September, he has been on fire, taking eight wickets against England in two one-day internationals that England has won.
“It was a good feeling chucking back on the black ODI kit,” he added. “It was a good feeling chucking back on the ODI kit.” “I can’t wait until there’s more to see!”
Boult played a pivotal role in New Zealand’s journey to the finals of the past two tournaments, both of which they ultimately lost to Australia in 2015 in Melbourne and then to England at Lord’s four years later.
The agony of the finals
“I’ve been very fortunate to play in a couple of World Cup finals and been on the wrong side of all of them,” he added with a wry grin as he reflected on his experiences.
It’s a cliche, but it’s true: you learn more from your mistakes than from your victories. Because of that experience, I feel like I’ve improved as a cricket player.”
During the tournament in 2015, he took 22 wickets, which tied him for the most with Mitchell Starc, an Australian fast bowler. They were defeated in the final by the hosts Australia by a score of seven wickets.
Fans of New Zealand cricket do not need to be reminded of their team’s loss to England in the 2019 final, which will occur when they play England in the first game of this year’s tournament.
When England was having trouble scoring the final few runs, Boult mistakenly stepped on the boundary rope while trying to catch Ben Stokes. Stokes then went on to lead England to victory in a tense Super Over. Boult was dismissed from the match.
“I didn’t know where the boundary was, and that was a crucial mistake,” Boult remarked of the error in judgment after it occurred.
“It was a crazy game to be a part of,” Boult said more about the match. “I make an effort not to dwell on the past.”
However, when Boult’s first game back for the Black Caps earlier this month in the first One-Day International against England, replays of the game were shown in Southampton, which served as a jarring reminder for him.
“It’s still one that’s difficult to let go of. It was maybe a little bit tougher when I came back after a year to play for New Zealand and there was a rain delay and the only game playing on the screen at the stadium (was the 2019 final), so it probably pushed me a little bit,” he acknowledged. “What was probably a little bit harder was when I come back after a year to play for New Zealand and it’s a rain delay and the only game playing on the screen at the ground was the 2019 final.”
Boult has his sights set on the future with the expectation that this third attempt will be successful since it is impossible to change what has already happened.
He said, “I’m looking forward to hopefully getting one more run and lifting the trophy in a couple of weeks’ time,” and that is exactly what he is looking forward to. “That is the primary area of concentration for the majority of us.”