Players prioritising T20 leagues hardly a Boult from the blue

Trent Boult giving up his New Zealand Cricket contract is another sign of a revolution sweeping through the game -- a change happening not at the leisurely pace of a Test match but at the breakneck speed of a Twenty20 innings. A key figure in the teams that won the inaugural World Test Championship and finished runners-up in three limited overs World Cups, Boult will from now on have a "significantly reduced role" with the Black Caps.

The left-arm quick requested the release from his contract so he could spend more time with his young family but, a New Zealand Cricket (NZC) statement said, the 33-year-old also wanted to make himself available for "domestic leagues". A crammed international calendar in three formats of the game and the added strain of playing in biosecure bubbles during the COVID-19 pandemic have pushed players like Boult to breaking point.

England talisman Ben Stokes quit the 50-overs format last month citing an "unsustainable" workload, while South Africa's Quinton de Kock dropped Test cricket last year. All three have, however, found time to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the trailblazer of the lucrative Twenty20 "domestic leagues" now proliferating around the world.

"The decisions that Quinton de Kock, and specifically Trent Boult, have made, point to a future of shorter international careers and more players happy to be part of the gig economy," tweeted commentator Harsha Bhogle. "With young families, it isn't easy to play both, international cricket and T20 leagues." Mushrooming franchise cricket, including upcoming leagues in the United Arab Emirates and South Africa, is making it an easy choice for some players.