New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was non-committal about his prospects in 20-over internationals following his team's elimination from the T20 World Cup held in the Caribbean and the United States. New Zealand failed to progress to the Super Eight phase of the 20-team competition, ending up third as West Indies and Afghanistan moved forward from group C. Teammate Trent Boult has affirmed that this was his final T20 World Cup, yet Williamson remained tight-lipped about his own future after they concluded their group stage with a win against Papua New Guinea. 'I'm not sure,' Williamson, aged 33, responded when queried about his potential participation in the 2026 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. 'There's quite a stretch until then, so it's about regrouping as a team. We're heading into red-ball cricket for the next year essentially, so it's back to other international formats, and we'll see how things unfold.' Williamson expressed frustration at their early exit despite their track record of overachieving in global tournaments. New Zealand's campaign kicked off with losses to Afghanistan and West Indies, and their subsequent wins against Uganda and Papua New Guinea proved inconsequential. 'We aimed to start strong, but we couldn't achieve that,' Williamson remarked. Earlier, left-arm fast bowler Boult declared his international cricket career over after New Zealand's T20 World Cup campaign concluded with a win over Papua New Guinea. The 34-year-old has seen limited international selection since his release from his New Zealand central contract in August 2022, enabling him to participate in more domestic T20 leagues overseas. However, the skilled swing bowler did play in New Zealand's 50-over World Cup last year, where they made the semifinals but lost to tournament hosts India. In contrast, a notable 13-year international career seemed to end in a less significant setting of a 'dead' T20 World Cup match, with both New Zealand and non-Test nation Papua New Guinea already out of contention for the second round. 'It feels a bit odd, with some emotions over the past few days,' Boult said, having taken two wickets for 14 runs as PNG were dismissed for 78. Boult's 317 wickets in 78 Tests rank fourth among New Zealand bowlers, with Tim Southee (380 Test wickets) second only to Richard Hadlee (431 wickets). Boult's last Test was against England nearly two years ago, with the World Cup semi-final being his most recent of 114 ODIs yielding 211 wickets. Williamson honored Boult, calling him a 'great servant of the game' who was 'consistent across all formats'.
Text: Lara Palmer
18.06.2024
New Zealand Captain Remains Non-Committal After T20 World Cup Exit; Trent Boult Confirms Retirement