Image Credit- AP
As New Zealand gets ready for the T20 World Cup, Trent
Boult is back in the team. The three-match T20I series against Australia starts
on February 21 in Wellington.
But the left-arm seamer has only been selected for the
T20Is’ second and third games. In the UAE’s ILT20 competition, he is presently
playing for MI Emirates, a team that has advanced to the knockout stages. Boult
will only have a six-day respite before lining up for New Zealand in the second
T20I in Auckland if MI Emirates get to the final on Saturday.
Since New Zealand’s defeat by India in the 2023 ODI
World Cup semi-final in Mumbai, Boult has not appeared for the Kiwis. Before
joining MI Emirates, he then joined the Deccan Gladiators of the Abu Dhabi T10
league. This will be his first Twenty20 International appearance since November
2022, when New Zealand lost to Pakistan in the semi-final of the Twenty20 World
Cup.
An important boost to a New Zealand team that will be
without regular captain Kane Williamson (on paternity leave) and premier
all-rounder Daryl Mitchell (rehabilitating a long-term foot injury) is Boult’s
comeback. Mitchell is giving himself the best opportunity of recuperating for
the two-match Test series against Australia, which starts on February 29, also
in Wellington. Mitchell has been carrying the ailment for about six to seven
months.
Due to Mitchell’s injury, Josh Clarkson, a big-hitting
all-arounder for Central Districts, may make his debut. Clarkson is yet to
receive a T20I cap despite having played in three ODIs for New Zealand thus
far. Among all batters who have played more than 30 innings in the Super Smash,
New Zealand’s biggest domestic T20 tournament, since 2020, Clarkson has the
greatest strike rate with 160.07.
After suffering a shoulder injury during the most
recent Super Smash, 27-year-old Clarkson was able to play again for Central
Districts in the 50-over Ford Trophy, contributing with the ball.
“It’s been pretty crazy really,” Clarkson
said, reacting to his T20I call-up. “Pretty crazy to be called up for the
Bangladesh series and then now [for] the T20I series against the Aussies…it’s a
pretty special feeling.
“Growing up, Aussies are usually the pinnacle and
the way they go about their game is sort of something that I try to imitate in
my game. But yeah, pretty special feeling for myself and my family as well. I
rang the old man yesterday and he’s in shock. He’s already booked his
flight.”