OTD 1989: Trent Boult was born

The image of a skiddy left-arm seamer wearing number 18 on his back swinging the new ball back into the right-handed batter crashing into his stumps is an image that has become synonymous with Trent Boult. The seamer has been one of the pillars of New Zealand’s success across all formats, having picked up over 600 wickets in international cricket across the three formats.

When you think of bowling pairs, ones that immediately come to mind are England’s ‘Broaderson’ – Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, India’s spin twins Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, and finally New Zealand’s Tim Southee and Trent Boult. Considered as New Zealand cricket’s finest new-ball pair, Boult often functioned as the merciless assassin to Southee’s metronomic control.

Boult made his debut for New Zealand in 2011-12 against Australia in the Test series, but it took until 2013 for him to rise to prominence. He picked up 19 wickets in five matches against England in the year, including figures of 6 for 88 in Wellington. He picked up his best match figures in Wellington against the West Indies, with figures of 6 for 40 and 4 for 40 in an innings victory. This was his first ten-wicket haul in Test cricket, and the year saw him cement his place as Southee’s fixed new-ball partner.

The 2015 ODI World Cup was where Boult had his true breakout on the global stage. He was the joint-highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 22 scalps alongside Mitchell Starc, and picked up his best figures of 5 for 27 against Australia in Auckland. The Kiwis finished as runners-up, being beaten in the final by their Trans-Tasman rivals. Boult was also the Kiwis’ leading wicket-taker in the 2019 World Cup with 13 scalps, as the Kiwis once again made the final but fell short to hosts England. He became the first Kiwi bowler to pick up a World Cup hat-trick in the game against Australia, which was his second ODI hat-trick.

Boult became the first New Zealand bowler to pick up a five-wicket haul in a day-night Test match against Australia in the latter portion of 2015, and recorded his best innings figures of 6/32 against England in 2018, a performance which saw the Three Lions bowled out for 58 to eventually lose by an innings. He was also part of New Zealand’s victorious 2019-21 World Test Championship campaign, and picked up his 300th Test wicket in 2022. He called time on his international career after New Zealand’s group stage elimination in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Boult has been a T20 franchise circuit regular and has played his trade in the Indian Premier League for five different teams. He played a key part in Mumbai Indians’ title win in 2020, forming another dangerous bowling pair with the maverick Jasprit Bumrah. He picked up 25 wickets in that season, his best single-season tally in the IPL. He has picked up 145 wickets in 125 IPL matches at an economy rate of 8.49.

Disclaimer: This Exclusive News is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. As you review this information, consider the points mentioned and form your own conclusions.

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