New Zealand’s Trent Boult confirms T20 World Cup 2024 will be ‘his last’

Veteran pacer Trent Boult has confirmed that the T20 World Cup 2024 will be his final appearance for New Zealand in the marquee tournament.

Since his debut in 2011, the left-handed pacer has been a key member of the BlackCaps’ golden generation, participating in multiple finals across all three formats for New Zealand.

One of the best exports of new-ball swing from his country, Trent Boult has picked up 81 wickets in 60 matches in the T20I format at an economy of 7.76. He was NZ’s leading wicket-taker in the 2014 and 2021 editions of T20 World Cups.

“Speaking on behalf of myself, this will be my last T20 World Cup,” Boult told the media after taking a tone-setting 2 for 7 in what was essentially a dead rubber against Uganda.

Whether Boult will continue to play for New Zealand in any capacity remains uncertain as he had opted out of a central contract in 2022, choosing to play T20 franchise cricket around the world instead.

Despite the huge win against Uganda and a game left in hand, New Zealand have already been eliminated from the race to Super Eight of T20 World Cup 2024 with Afghanistan and West Indies clinching the two spots from Group C.

The Blackcaps began their campaign with a 84-run loss against Afghanistan. They then lost to co-host the West Indies by 13 runs. This is the first time New Zealand have failed to reach the semi-finals of a white-ball ICC World Cup since 2014.

“I think 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,” Boult said.

Reminiscing his journey, Trent Boult spoke about his friendship with fast bowling partner Tim Southee and the bond they have forged over the years.

“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.”

For a cricketing nation which has had a lot of success and many proud moments in the last decade, the debate on whether this is the ‘end of an era’ had risen leading into the World Cup, one that has been fuelled since their elimination, “It’s a hard one to forecast,” Trent Boult said.

“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,” he concluded.

New Zealand will end their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign on June 17 against PNG at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium in Trinidad.