Leading New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult has been released from his contract with New Zealand Cricket to spend more time with his young family.

He recently has been in discussion with NZC about the increasing burden of touring overseas with a young family at home.

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“We respect Trent’s position,” NZC chief executive David White said Wednesday. “He’s been completely honest and up-front with us about his reasoning and, while we’re sad to be losing him as a fully-contracted player, he leaves with our best wishes and our sincere thanks.

“Trent’s made a massive contribution to the Black Caps since his test debut in late 2011 and is now considered one of the best multi-format cricketers in the world. We’re very proud of what he’s achieved.”

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Boult has been regarded as one of the world’s finest bowlers for some time. So let’s take a look at who the New Zealand ace is and how he came to be what he is today.

Born on July 22, 1989 in Rotorua, New Zealand’s North Island, Boult spent his childhood in Ohope and Tauranga. He is of Maori descent and has an older brother, Jono Boult, who is also a cricketer.

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A left arm quick, Trent made his Test debut for New Zealand in 2011. A string of impressive performances led to him making his ODI debut in July 2012. While a consistent performer, he truly broke into the limelight in the 2015 ICC Men’s World Cup, where he finished as the joint highest wicket taker.

Another three years later, Boult became the third Kiwi bowler to register a hat-trick in ODI matches. Soon after that, he became his country’s first bowler to register another hat-trick in the World Cup, in June 2019.

He has taken five-wicket hauls multiple times in his international career, registering 10 and 5 in Test and ODI cricket. The New Zealand ace has registered 317 wickets in Tests, 169 in ODI, 62 in T20I and 92 in IPL till the time of writing this article.

The 32-year-old’s best figures in the three formats have also been envious, registering 6/30 in Tests, 7/34 in ODI and 4/34 in T20I cricket.

Trent Boult has also had a distinguished career in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he has been associated with five different teams. He was bought by Rajasthan Royals for INR. 8 Crore in the 2022 IPL Draft.

He is currently the no.1 ODI bowler by the ICC rankings.