Trent Boult Resigns from Central Contract

Trent Boult’s international career is coming to an end after New Zealand Cricket decided to release the world’s top ODI bowler from his central contract. Boult sought the release following many meetings with New Zealand Cricket, citing a desire to spend more time with family while also making himself accessible for domestic tournaments throughout the world.

NEWS | NZC has agreed to release Trent Boult from his central contract so that he can spend more time with his family, while also making himself available for domestic leagues. Boult will complete the tour of the West Indies as scheduled.

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The Kiwi star is an obvious choice for the newly formed UAE T20 League. The 33-year-old has described the choice to stand down as a “very difficult decision.”

On his request, New Zealand Cricket revealed that the 33-year-old will have a “substantially limited role” with the Black Caps. The excellent left-armer is ranked first in the ICC Men’s ODI Bowling Rankings, with 169 wickets since making his international debut in 2011. He has also captured 317 Test wickets.

He is presently with the Black Caps in the West Indies on a white-ball tour ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia in October.

“Playing cricket for my country was a childhood dream and I’m so proud of everything I’ve been able to achieve with the Black Caps over the past 12 years,” Trent said.

“Ultimately this decision is about my wife Gert and our three young boys. Family has always been the biggest motivator for me and I feel comfortable with putting it first and preparing ourselves for life after cricket. As a fast bowler I know I have a limited career span, and I feel the time is right to move into this next phase,” he added.

Boult has played 78 Tests, 93 ODIs, and 44 T20Is for New Zealand over the last decade, including the World Test Championship final triumph over India last year. He also appeared in the ODI World Cup finals in 2015 and 2019, as well as the T20 World Cup final in 2021.

Due to the oversaturation of the cricket calendar, it may soon become the norm for cricketers to forego international duty in order to play more high-paying franchise cricket, especially later in their careers.

The phenomenal success of the Indian Premier League has encouraged the establishment of numerous privately-owned domestic competitions, notably the United Arab Emirates’ International League T20 and South Africa’s freshly announced T20 tournament.