Outgoing New Zealand Cricket (NZC) CEO David White has revealed that he expects left-arm pacer Trent Boult to be part of the Blackcaps squad for the ODI World Cup in India. Boult had given up his national contract in August last year to spend more time with his family and continue playing franchise cricket. However, he has not played for New Zealand since the T20 World Cup in October-November, as the team prioritizes centrally-contracted players.
White clarified that priority is given to centrally-contracted players in the New Zealand team, and that was the case during the summer. However, he mentioned that NZC is having “very positive conversations” with Boult and he would be surprised if the bowler isn’t representing New Zealand in the World Cup.
“We have made it very clear that priority is given to centrally-contracted players,” White was quoted as saying to New Zealand radio station Newstalk ZB.
“That was the case during the summer. It is very important for the integrity of the competition and of the contracting model that we give priority to our centrally-contracted players.
“In saying that, we’ve had a lot of conversations with Trent over the last few weeks and months. I’d be very surprised if he wasn’t representing New Zealand in the World Cup, and we’re having very positive conversations with him.”
Despite Boult’s preference for franchise cricket, White believes that the majority of cricketers still consider playing for their country the pinnacle of their career. He is not concerned about players going into leagues towards the end of their career and states that cricket is being bankrolled primarily by India, which has huge resources and revenue, making it good for cricket.
“I think that the players still say that Test cricket and representing their country is still the pinnacle. The majority of the players, that is certainly the case.
“It would be fair to say that a lot of the players that are going into leagues are former (internationals), or (are) towards the end of their career. So I am not so concerned about that.
“The really positive thing about cricket compared to a lot of other sports is that it’s being bankrolled primarily by India, which is now the most populated country in the world. There are huge resources and a lot of revenue, which is good for cricket,” the former New Zealand cricketer added.
White also mentioned that it is important for NZC to ensure that they stay relevant to influence the international game at the ICC level and compete at the highest level.
