New Zealand pacer Trent Boult was initially not expecting to feature in the ongoing second and final Test against England, but he finally managed to make it in the playing XI and now he hopes the game time at Edgbaston will put him in good stead for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against India.
Initially not expecting to feature in the ongoing second Test against England, New Zealand pacer Trent Boult is hopeful that achieving game fitness rather than bowling in the nets will put him in "good stead" in the upcoming World Test Championship final against India.
Boult, who missed the first Test against England to spend time with his family after the suspension of the IPL 2021, was set to sit out the second Test as well, but UK relaxed its quarantine rules, resulting in the pace spearhead being out of quarantine sooner than expected.
As reported by ESPNCricinfo, Boult said: “Initially I wasn't expecting to play this game but everything fell into line, and I gave myself that chance to get out there and I think I'll definitely be better off for that head out. It's one thing loading and getting through numbers in the nets but to simulate that kind of game fitness and having to come back three, four, or five times in a day there's no real other way to do that. So I'm hoping it puts me in good stead (for the WTC final).”
He added, “What worked really well was the travel went well and I managed to get out of isolation in the UK quicker than was expected. As you can imagine, I was very excited with the prospect of playing the second Test. I felt like I gave myself the best chance with preparing with that week back at home and then getting straight into it here. Hopefully, we can get the job done and win a very important series.”
The WTC 2021 Final between Indian and New Zealand is scheduled to be held in Southampton from 18-22 June and the experienced paceman is excited to play in the much-awaited mega Test match.
Boult further added, “The toes are a bit sore but that's what happens when you ram into the shoes for 30 overs. I'm excited about what lies ahead next week in Southampton but equally excited with the opportunity here over the next couple of days.”
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New Zealand have plenty of bowling options with the likes of Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson, Neil Wagner, and Matt Henry performing well in the ongoing Test series and Boult said it's “a healthy competition” for the WTC final against India next week.
Boult signed off by saying, “The boys are very excited about the prospect, but they've put in a lot of hard yards not just over the last couple of weeks but over a couple of years of a Test Championship cycle. Some hard calls will have to be made but the big picture is the collective goal of lifting the world title.”
(With PTI Inputs)
