As with Hadlee, it will take a long time to replace Boult: Ian Smith

Left-arm pacer Trent Boult has ruled himself out of future ICC Men's T20 World Cup appearances for New Zealand. 

After a shock first-round exit in the Men's T20 World Cup 2024, New Zealand produced a sensational win against Uganda in their third group fixture. Following their consolation victory, which included his spell of 4-1-7-2, Boult announced, "Speaking on behalf of myself this will be my last T20 World Cup, so yeah, that's all I have to say."

Boult has been New Zealand's strike bowler across format through the years, with 317 Test wickets, 211 ODI wickets, and 81 T20I wickets to his name.

Having opted out of New Zealand central contract in recent years, Boult's appearances for the national setup have been intermittent, limited mostly to big competitions like the ICC events.

Former New Zealand player and commentator Ian Smith ruminated on Boult's decision, claiming that New Zealand did not have an equal replacement for Boult in their ranks.

"In New Zealand, when we'd think about replacing Trent Boult, we'll have to dig very deep," Smith opined. "And right now we can't, we haven't got a left-arm bowler of world-class ability in our ranks at the moment."

Sir Richard Hadlee was one of the class all-rounders in the 1970s and 80s and finished his career with 431 Test wickets, still a New Zealand record. Smith believed Boult's impact was similar, and it would take years for someone to replicate his feats.

"There are kids coming through but it will be a long time, a long, long time just as it was with Richard Hadlee. A long time until we replace or come close to replacing what Trent Boult has done."

Having seen both Hadlee and Boult play in front of him, Smith believed their similarity lay in their bowling rhythm.

"(Boult) He's one of those players, who has a nice rhythm about what he does. I have played cricket with Richard Hadlee, and his great thing was rhythm.

"His action hasn't changed over the years really, he has a nice flow about doing things. He's not the quickest bowler in the world but he's the most demanding."

New Zealand sign off from the T20 World Cup with their final group encounter against PNG on June 17, Monday.