NZ vs ENG: Trent Boult set to miss Test series against England at home

New Zealand's left-arm pacer Trent Boult is set to miss the two-match Test series against England at home. He is one of the top names in the country to opt out of the central contract and has been featuring in the Big Bash League (BBL) for Melbourne Stars. He will soon be joining his ILT20 side MI Emirates with the tournament starting from January 13.

The two-match Test series between New Zealand and England is scheduled to commence on February 16. On the other hand, the final of inaugural ILT20 will be played on February 12 that gives an extremely small window for Boult. New Zealand's head coach Gary Stead himself has effectively ruled out a possibility of Boult featuring for the national side during the home season.

He stated that the cricketer will only reach home hardly a couple of days before the Test series and it would be tough on him. "Trent and I have had discussions and I think his return from the UAE would only be a day or two immediately prior to [the England series]. From a workload perspective, I think [playing England is] out of the picture," Stead said according to Cricbuzz.

New Zealand pacers' injury concerns

Meanwhile, New Zealand pacers have grappled with injuries of late. Their latest casualty is Matt Henry who has been ruled out of the upcoming ODI series against Pakistan and India with an abdominal strain. He played with the injury on the final day of the Karachi Test against Pakistan trying hard to win the game for his side. Henry will now return home with the rest of the Test squad and hope to recover before the home Tests against England.

"It has been tough playing ten days essentially out of the last 12 [in Karachi] and that being full days with no weather breaks. So when you've been in the field for eight sessions in each Test match, I guess there is natural wear and tear on players," Stead further added.