London: Let-arm pace bowler Trent Boult is unlikely to be available for selection in New Zealand's first Test against England, beginning at Lord's on June 2, as the 32-year-old's team, Rajasthan Royals, is in the Indian Premier League (IPL) final against Gujarat Titans.
The IPL final will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, which means the Black Caps pace bowler will "have virtually no time to prepare properly for the first Test", a report in stuff.co.nz said on Saturday.
Boult took a wicket and bowled four economical overs as the Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by seven wickets in Qualifier 2 on Friday to secure an IPL 2022 final berth.
New Zealand are playing their second warm-up game against Counties Select XI ahead of the opening Test and with Boult not acclimatised to the England conditions or to the longest format of the game, there's a likelihood of Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson, Neil Wagner, Matt Henry and spin bowler Ajaz Patel being in the selection mix for the Lord's game.
New Zealand spin bowler Ajaz Patel has staked his claim for a place in the side for the first Test, grabbing 3/32 as the tourists bundled out Counties Select XI for 247 after scoring 362/9 declared in the first innings.
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