Trent Boult weighs in on refusing New Zealand Cricket’s contract; 'Got three young kids…'

Trent Boult was released from his central contract by New Zealand Cricket after the player cited family reasons. While he still remains eligible for selection, the players who are under central contracts top the priority list for selection into the squad. Meanwhile, as reported by stuff.co.nz, the 33-year-old has now revealed the reason behind the decision not to accept the central contract.

Boult revealed that he is proud of his achievements for New Zealand in Test cricket, but has started pondering the post-cricket perspective in his career. “I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve achieved in the Test arena. But I’ve got three young kids and I look at my career as a length of the string. I feel like I’m at the later end of that piece of string,” the star pacer said. 

Trent Boult is hopeful of playing in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023

“I’ve chosen to go into two other leagues around the busiest time in the New Zealand cricket summer. I do understand that the decision to give back my contract obviously is going to open the door for other people,” Boult added. The pacer then shed light on the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup 2023 and added that he is hopeful of remaining in the scheme of things for the marquee event. “I want to be there (world cup) to have another crack and I hope that is still the case. It’s still a wee way away,” he said.

In his international career so far for the Kiwis, Boult has claimed 317 wickets in 78 Test matches. In the ODIs, Boult has accounted for 187 wickets in 99 games. At the same time in the T20Is, the pacer has registered 74 dismissals in 55 matches so far.

The ICC ODI World Cup 2023 will be played in India in the month of October and November. It will be the 13th edition of the tournament, which will see the participation of the 10 ODI cricket-playing nations. A total of 48 matches are scheduled to be played during the tournament. The group stage of the World Cup will be played in a round-robin format, before it heads into the knockout stage.