Trent Boult is convinced that Brendon McCullum, the coach of England, would encourage his batsmen to go for it on the last day of the test match at Trent Bridge, regardless of how many more runs New Zealand scores.
As day five of the match begins, New Zealand’s score is 224-7, giving them a lead of 238 runs. While Matt Henry has just eight, Daryl Mitchell has racked up 32.
They will attempt to continue their score in the morning, and even though an injury to Kyle Jamieson’s lower back makes it very unlikely that he will bowl again, he will still bat.
Last year, England was criticized for showing little determination to chase down a target of 273 set by New Zealand against them at Edgbaston, and the game ended in a tie. However, Boult is aware that this will not be the case with McCullum. He is optimistic about England’s chances this time around.
“I know their coach quite well, and I don’t believe he’ll be closing up shop,” Boult said. “Coming here in the morning with all of the results on the table is wonderful, and the lads are extremely thrilled about it,” he added.
The last day is shaping up to be an exciting one, and the administrators at Nottinghamshire Cricket have announced that they will not charge anything for entry. So the atmosphere is going to be absolutely electric.
Even though the game won’t be decided by a Super Over like the World Cup final in 2019, the action will nonetheless be tense and exciting.
What did Trent Boult say about Day 5?
Boult said that there was a lot of hard work done over the course of a previous couple of days and that he believes the game is fairly beautifully set.
“We’re 230 or so runs up with a few big hitters still in the tank, so it should turn out to be an intriguing final day of the test cricket match. It’s always thrilling going up to the final day knowing that the outcome is still on the line,” he continued.
“Reflecting on the wicket over the last two days, many have been saying that it is a flat, true pitch. Nonetheless, there is enough excitement there to keep everyone engaged on day five. Whatever runs we get first thing in the morning ought to keep things interesting,” Boult added.
