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New Zealand head coach Gary Stead recently reckoned that the left-arm seamer Trent Boult would not be part of New Zealand's squad for the two-match Test series against England at home in February.
In August last year, Boult in a shocker announced that he would not take up a central contract with New Zealand and opted to spend more time with his family and to participate in domestic T20 leagues worldwide. The first Test against England begins at Mount Maunganui on February 16. Boult is currently playing for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League (BBL). The 33-year-old will play for the Mumbai Emirates in the inaugural ILT20 league in the UAE which will run from January 13 to February 12. "No, I wouldn't have thought so. I mean Trent and I have had discussions and I think his return from the UAE would only be a day or two immediately prior to that [start of England Tests]. I think from a workload perspective that's out of the picture," ESPNcricinfo quoted Stead as saying. Earlier, Stead said that it has been difficult for the side to play for 10 days in Karachi for "full days with no weather breaks." "So when you have been in the field for eight sessions in each Test match, I guess there is natural wear and tear on players," added the coach. Besides Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson and Adam Milne are also on sidelines. Earlier this week, Milne withdrew from the ODI series squad against Pakistan and India. Stead revealed about Henry's withdrawal, "He has a little bit of a side issue and for Adam it's about finding confidence in himself that he can let go fully and that is what we are trying to help him with," Stead said. "He just does not feel that he's ready for international cricket at this stage and we agree with him," added the coach. (ANI)
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