Former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond has backed the decision to rest Trent Boult from the upcoming home T20Is against the West Indies before another gruelling summer season.
Boult will miss the 3-T20I series against the Windies which starts with the first game in Auckland on November 27. The left-arm pacer will return to the New Zealand set up to play the 2 Tests which start from December 3 in Hamilton. Captain Kane Williamson has also been rested for the T20Is but will be back for the Tests. Tim Southee will lead the Kiwis in Williamson’s absence.
Boult recently returned home from the United Arab Emirates where he was plying his trade for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League 2020.
Bond, who is the bowling coach at MI, is currently in managed isolation with Boult in Christchurch and is all for the pacer taking a small break to spend some time with his family after being away from home for over 2 months due to IPL 2020.
“To fly out of here and go straight into games without seeing his family would have been a massive mistake. I think for his own sanity he needs to get home and spend a bit of time with his family before another busy summer,” Bond said.
Boult is currently training at a high performance centre outside Christchurch where he is focussing on his workload in Test cricket, something which he hasn’t played since the first week of March due to the coronavirus pandemic crisis.
