A Guide Through Trent Boult & NZC Contracts
Nothing whips up a weird frenzy quite like Blackcaps/White Ferns contracts and after dabbling in contract mayhem this year, Trent Boult said hold my beer. All of which has been amplified by global cricket insecurities as folks around the world are either scared by the state of cricket or they are encouraging drastic change to the global landscape. So when the best seam bowler in the world dips out of a NZC Blackcaps contract those insecurities, fears and warnings lead all coverage.
The common thread throughout Blackcaps contracts is that they don't really matter for fans. Blackcaps contracts are not a measurement of the best cricketers in Aotearoa and instead operate as the opinions of a few folks. There is nuance in this as Aotearoa does not have equality in professional sport and getting a White Ferns contract can be the difference between being a professional athlete or having to work another job. That also applies to domestic cricket contracts and domestic contracts provide greater insights about player movement.
In all three kiwi cricket realms, non-contracted folks play a lot of cricket at that level. Despite the doom and gloom of the Boult news, Boult can keep playing for Blackcaps. Boult might even play more for the Blackcaps given that Boult has been dictating his availability for a few years already. Below are the number of games Boult has played in the last five years, split by format (Test-ODI-T20I)...
2018: 7-12-8 (27)
2019: 6-20-2 (28)
2020: 5-1-2 (8)
2021: 3-3-15 (21)
2022: 5 (5)
For the 2019 ODI World Cup, Boult ramped up his ODI mahi. While Aotearoa was impacted by the pandemic and lost ODI fixtures, Boult opted out of most ODI cricket after the World Cup. In 2019 Boult played two T20I games, then two more the following year as he again opted out of various T20I activities. When it was time for the 2021 T20 World Cup, Boult went hundies and played more T20I games than any other year of his career.
Boult has also picked his spots in Test cricket. 2020/2021 form the only phase of Boult's Test career in which he has played five or fewer Tests in consecutive years and his three Tests last year is a low marker since becoming a certified 1st 11 trooper. Thanks to Boult's mana in Aotearoa cricket, he has been specific about which format he plays and when while balancing that with his whanau.
Most kiwis would agree that Boult is a lovely kiwi chap. When Boult says he wants more whanau time, we have no reason to translate that into 'I want lots of T20 money'. When Boult says he wants more whanau time, most of us will believe him and picking up lots of T20 gigs around the world works directly against more whanau time. This is merely my perspective and I could be super duper wrong which would then involve Boult skipping around the world for T20 dosh.
There is nothing wrong with that. Boult's move comes at a time when the cricketing world appears stressed, anxious and scared. That's why T20 money keeps being mentioned and why this move has been delivered as an ground-breaking moment for cricket. Boult has been Aotearoa's best and most consistent IPL player which will likely continue. NZC works hard to ensure that kiwi cricketers can play that tournament around Blackcaps fixtures so nothing would change there.
Boult has never played Big Bash League though. While folks stress about all these T20 leagues around the world that might fizzle into nothing, I'm low key eager to see Boult play BBL. NZC contracts restrict BBL opportunities and the Super Smash is played at the same time, ensuring that Aotearoa's best T20 players can't play BBL. Then again, Boult might just want to kick back in Tauranga and crack Super Smash sixes.
Boult may just want the ability to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Blackcaps contracts are restrictive and involve corporate events for example which when combined with Boult already picking his spot, can amount to Boult doing what he wants without strings attached. The flipside of this is that Boult is probably a splash behind Kane Williamson in Aotearoa cricket rankings, putting his contract value among the highest (possibly top-two). It does not seem financially logical to pay a player in the highest contract bracket when that player is choosing to play three T20Is, no ODIs and four Tests a year.
NZC essentially have Boult on a elite contract for less mahi. NZC may be all good with that for a variety of reasons and this situation can be viewed as favourable for both parties involved.
This situation may throw up an intriguing juncture where Boult is available for Test selection and NZC/Blackcaps must decide between a non-contracted player and a contracted player. Obviously Boult should be selected ahead of the contracted player because he's the second best Aotearoa seamer ever. NZC made it clear that they will favour contracted players, but they'd be weirdos to overlook Boult when he has made himself available.
Jimmy Neesham's situation is different because he was relegated out of a contract while Boult opted out of his contract. Without a contract, Neesham has played all seven T20I games of their European excursion and is currently in the combined T20I/ODI squad touring West Indies. This was a headline issue at the time and since then, Neesham has kept playing for Aotearoa without a contract.
Amy Sattertwhaite and Lea Tahuhu were relegated out of contracts, leading to Satterthwaite's retirement. Satterthwaite could have kept playing as her wife Tahuhu has done, yet the wahine nuance was probably a major factor as they are raising a family together and they would have required full-time contracts to keep playing while also raising a family. Without a contract, Tahuhu found her way back into the White Ferns and she will be one of many wahine cricketers without a White Ferns contract who will perform better this summer than those with contracts.
Don't judge players or the organisation on contracts, judge this by who plays and who does what when they play. There is a possibility that Boult plays the same number of games for Aotearoa without a contract as he did with a contract. Boult's mana ensures that he will have further Blackcaps opportunities, mana that has been established by years of putting the team and whanau first. While I am open to Boult guzzling up T20 cash like a thirsty social media influencer, this doesn't seem like the Boulty kiwis have come to love.
Given that Boult has already prioritised major tournaments ahead of random series, there is every chance that this continues. Boult can still play Test cricket whenever he wants and as he's already picked T20 league opportunities ahead of Blackcaps cricket, there is a chance that nothing actually changes.
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Peace and love.