Patience and perseverance have finally payed off for Jono Boult.
The Otumoetai Cadets, Bay of Plenty and Northern Districts off-spinner will play for a New Zealand XI side in a two day warm-up match against India on February 1-2 at Cobham Oval, Whangarei.
It has been a long time comingfor the 28-year-old, who made his first class debut back in March 2009, and has been in and out of the Northern Districts first class and limited overs teams ever since.
His younger brother Trent has made most of the family's cricket headlines from a young age and is now a first-choice opening bowler for the Black Caps.
But Jono Boult says the aspirations set so early on the family's backyard to play for New Zealand still beats as strongly for him today as they ever did.
"I would love to play test cricket, especially with my brother," Boult said. "But I am just enjoying playing any cricket I get to play at the moment, with the Bay and ND, so it is good fun."
This weekend's game is a big step up for Boult but one he is looking forward to taking on.
"It is definitely a great opportunity to play against the best team in the world and probably the best players of spin, so it is a good way to test myself and learn how to bowl better."
Boult is under no illusions about how difficult it will be bowling to some of the best players in the game.
"They can pretty much do whatever they want [against spin] so I am going to try and get some dots somehow.
"I will also flight a few up there and get them caught on the boundary - that's my plan!"
Boult topped the wicket count in the recent HRV Cup Twenty20 series, which the Northern Knights won to progress through to the qualification tournament for the lucrative Champions League in India.
"It was great to finally get the opportunity with a new coach [Tauranga's James Pamment] so that has helped."
