"We want him to be involved" - Gavin Larsen hopes Trent Boult will play in 2023 World Cup
New Zealand men's team's chief selector Gavin Larsen is hopeful that Trent Boult will return for the 2023 World Cup, scheduled to take place later this year in India. The former right-arm pacer suggested that having Boult in the side will be a massive boost to their chances.
Boult hasn't played international cricket since the T20 World Cup 2022 in November, making himself more available for franchise cricket. The 33-year-old is currently playing for the MI Emirates in the International League T20 in the UAE.
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Trent Boult has spoken about his international prospects after being released from the @BLACKCAPS central contract 💬
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Speaking on SENZ Mornings, Larsen said they are keen on having Boult for New Zealand's World Cup campaign and are diligently working towards it.
"We want him to be involved, we’d love him to be involved, we understand entirely his situation so we will keep working with him," he said. "We’ve got a World Cup at the end of the year and I’ve got my fingers crossed that if the stars align that we’ll have a certain Trent Boult opening the bowling for us.”
The Rotorua-born bowler sacrificed his central contract last year and said that he wants to play as much franchise cricket as possible to support his family. A few months later, Martin Guptill also followed in his footsteps after inking a deal with the Melbourne Renegades.
"The door is very much open" - Gavin Larsen on Trent Boult's return
The 60-year-old also labeled the veteran swing bowler as a match-winner with a massive pedigree and that Boult and head coach Gary Stead are in constant touch with each other.
"The door is very much open," he continued. "Gary and Trent talk on a regular basis. We all know Boulty’s pedigree, his experience and just what a great match-winner he is and has been over the years for us."
TRENT BOULT GETS A HAT-TRICK!
The urge to have Trent Boult back in the setup also arises from New Zealand's recent struggles in limited-overs cricket, losing the ODI series to India and Australia.
The Blackcaps also lost the third T20I in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 1, by an enormous 168 runs as India returned from a 0-1 trail to claim the three-game series.