New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult has announced that the ongoing T20 World Cup will mark his final appearance for the Black Caps in this tournament. Boult made this decision following New Zealand's convincing nine-wicket victory over Uganda at Brian Lara Stadium, where they secured their first win of the competition. Boult, who holds the record for most wickets taken by a New Zealand player in T20 World Cups, expressed his sentiments after the match.
After consecutive defeats to Afghanistan and West Indies, New Zealand has been eliminated from the T20 World Cup. This marks the first time since 2014 that the Kiwis have failed to reach the semi-finals in a limited-overs World Cup.
"Speaking on behalf of myself, this will be my last T20 World Cup, so yeah that's all I have to say," Boult confirmed.
Reflecting on the tournament, Boult acknowledged the unpredictable nature of T20 cricket and expressed disappointment at not progressing further. "I think, in T20 cricket anything can happen. We're devastated to not qualify. We've been outplayed earlier in the tournament and, we haven't qualified for good reason so it's unfortunate but that's how T20 cricket goes," he added.
Boult also paid tribute to his bowling partner Tim Southee, emphasizing their strong bond both on and off the field. "I look at it with very fond memories. We bowled a lot of overs together. I know the partnership very well, and obviously a very good friend on and off the ground. So yeah, nice to wind back the clock a little bit and see a bit of swing bowling at the top. Hopefully, a couple more still to come," he said.
Despite the disappointment of being knocked out, Boult remains optimistic about New Zealand's future, pointing to the emergence of talented young players in the squad.
"It's a hard one to forecast. Like I said there's a lot of pride in the dressing room and playing for the country. We've had some great records across the however many years and it's something that we don't look at too much.
"I think there's still some tremendous talent inside that dressing room and coming through the ranks in New Zealand cricket. So, we're a proud nation and I think it will continue to go that way," Boult said..
New Zealand's final group stage match will be against Papua New Guinea at the same venue on June 17.
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