Trent Boult Has Got To Think About His Family And Financial Side Of The Game Now, Probably More Than Ever – Ricky Ponting

Legendary Australia National Cricket Team captain Ricky Ponting shared his views on New Zealand National Cricket left-arm pacer Trent Boult’s decision to pull out of his central contract, saying that the 33-year-old star pacer has now got to think about his family and the financial side of things more than ever.

On August 10, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced that the board has agreed to release Trent Boult from the central contract after the pacer had requested to stay out of the central contract to spend more time with his family and make himself available for franchise T20 leagues. Staying out of the central contract doesn’t end Boult’s international career, but New Zealand Cricket had signified that they would favour contracted players when selecting squads in the future.

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Speaking on The ICC Review, Ponting said that the emergence of the new T20 leagues all around the globe has made it harder for the players to maintain the full schedule of international cricket. He added that several players will follow the recent lead of Boult and turn their back on central contracts to participate in the domestic T20 leagues.

“I think it’s inevitable now with the amount of T20 domestic tournaments that are popping up all around the world now,” Ponting said on The ICC Review.

“It’s just getting harder and harder for these guys to maintain the full schedule of international cricket. And for someone like Trent Boult, and no disrespect to New Zealand at all, but I’m sure their national contracts are probably only reflective of maybe what he would make in one of these T20 domestic tournaments. 

“He’s coming towards the end of his career and he’s got to think about his family and the financial side of the game now, probably more than ever.”

He’ll be in very high demand. There’s no doubt about it – Ricky Ponting on Trent Boult

Australia legend Ricky Ponting believes that Boult is at the peak of his cricket career and there will be a high demand for the pacer in the T20 leagues.

“He’s right on top of his game as well in all formats, so wherever he goes and chooses to play if it’s T20 stuff that he’s talking about, then he’ll be in very high demand. There’s no doubt about it,” Ponting noted.

“With the Big Bash draft coming up, I reckon pretty much every franchise or every team in Australia would have been reaching out to Trent Boult to make sure that he got his name into that player draft because he would be in high demand.

“The West Indians, I think are probably the ones that started this years ago with their preference for the T20 game and their ability to make big money and other tournaments. I think we’ll read and hear more about this in the coming years.”

Former Australian skipper further said that the left-arm pacer Boult is a key member of the New Zealand team and the cricket board will have to manage the pacer properly to play him in the big games if he is available for selection.

“I think it depends on how the national teams are going to handle a situation like this with Trent…he said that he feels that that could jeopardise how much he plays for New Zealand, but I don’t think it will,” Ponting said.

“He’s too important to New Zealand and if he doesn’t miss a lot of domestic cricket and he’s still available for selection, as long as they manage that well and maybe just pick him in the series that, the bigger type Test series that they play, then I think the that the national teams and the national selectors and the individual player can make it work to a certain degree.

“Trent will have to give up something or he wouldn’t have made the decision that he’s made. But I think if it’s handled well, then there’s no reason why they can’t both co-exist in a reasonable manner.”

Also Read: “It’s A Fantastic Initiative And The Players Will Enjoy As Well” – Ricky Ponting On Border-Gavaskar Trophy Extended To 5 Matches

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