Boult back in nick of time
It shows Twenty20 international cricket’s usual place in the grand scheme of things when Trent Boult can be absent for 21 months and create barely any fuss.
The fact England are here, a series victory is on the line and the T20 World Cup is less than a year away adds up neatly to the Black Caps pace spearhead’s return for game four in Napier tonight.
Not since February 2018 has Boult laced up the boots in T20 internationals, when New Zealand lost to Australia in the triseries final in Auckland.
Thirteen T20s have passed by since without Boult, those matches often presenting a chance to rest him and New Zealand’s other most prized cricketing asset Kane Williamson amid busy test and ODI schedules.
Boult turned 30 eight days after the Black Caps’ agonising defeat to England in the Cricket World Cup final, returned for the 1-1 test series draw in Sri Lanka in August and hasn’t played an international since.
‘‘There’s a series on the line here and I’m eager to come in and put my best step forward and hope to seal this series off nicely,’’ Boult said.
The time is right for Boult to return alongside his new ball mate, and skipper for this series Tim Southee, with local lad Blair
Tickner likely to complete the pace trio after another impressive spell in the Nelson victory.
New Zealand face England in the first test in Mount Maunganui on November 21, the first of five in a row including the much-awaited three tests in Australia.
After his winter spell, Boult bowled 69 overs in two Plunket
Shield matches for Northern Districts, taking eight wickets at 32.
With these two tuneup gallops in Napier then Auckland on Sunday – to use a thoroughbred
analogy – Boult should be cherry ripe for Bay Oval’s historic first test when England’s big guns such as Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer arrive in his backyard.
‘‘It’s just beautiful this time of year. Looking forward to the inaugural test match; it looks like it’s going to be a good wicket and there’s a lot of hum and a lot of vibe going on in Bay of Plenty for some test cricket.’’
For now an undermanned England need to be knocked over for a third time in succession, with their lack of middle order experience and big-match performers showing in Wellington and Nelson.
New Zealand lead 2-1 with two to play, with Boult replacing Lockie Ferguson who returns to Plunket Shield after finishing the job in Nelson with the wickets of Lewis Gregory and Sam Curran in the space of three deliveries.
Victory would clinch New Zealand’s third successive T20 series win in 2019, after 2-1 margins over India in February (home) and Sri Lanka in September (away). They began the series ranked sixth in the world to England’s fourth. LOCK IT IN