Trent Boult Hopeful For Lifting World Cup In India After Return To New Zealand's ODI Squad

New Zealand senior fast bowler Trent Boult is "as hungry as ever" to play for the Blackcaps once again and lift the upcoming World Cup which commences on October 5 with the first match being the repeat of the 2019 final.

Boult returned to New Zealand's ODI squad for the upcoming series against England in the lead-up to the World Cup in India.

"It wasn't an easy decision to make just over a year ago to move away from the New Zealand cricket bubble in a way," he said. "I never wanted it to be about New Zealand or franchise cricket. I just respected the fact that my career is [only] so long and just tried to make the most of my remaining years as a bowler. Yeah, definitely as hungry as ever to still represent the country, and hopefully do something special with the guys over the next couple of months. I can't wait.

"I have always had this in the back of my mind to come back and work towards an ODI World Cup. There's history involved there. The times we have had in previous campaigns have been very exciting. So just hungry to get involved, and hopefully play a big role," he added.

Boult was part of the last two World Cup finals when New Zealand finished runners-up to Australia and England.

"I'm just thinking about hopefully lifting something pretty shiny that we were pretty close to four years ago. That's the biggest focus."

Boult recently helped MI New York clinch the inaugural Major League Cricket (MLC) trophy in the USA by being the highest wicket-taker.

He also fulfilled his stint in Indian Premier League (IPL) with Rajasthan Royals which followed his time with MI Emirates in the UAE's ILT20 and with Melbourne Renegades in the BBL. During Boult's absence from the New Zealand team, he missed playing 35 international matches for them across formats.

"Life's short, make the most of everything. It has been an exciting 12 months or so on the road," Boult said of his year-long sojourn from international cricket. "[I was] getting the chance of experiencing cricket around the world. Just got out of Texas [for MLC]. I had a great time out there, lifting the trophy with MI New York," he further said.

"Just pretty grateful to get the experiences across a couple of big tournaments, and it's been different watching the Black Caps games from afar and seeing the guys go out there and take on the international game. I still respect the international game immensely; it plays a big role in any kid trying to come through and play cricket as a dream. The idea of a World Cup is still the pinnacle in my opinion as well," he added.