Considered one of the greatest and most effective left-arm seamers of his generation, Trent Boult has been one of the most magnificent cricketers to come out of the island nation Down Under. One half of a lethal new-ball pairing with metronomic Tim Southee, Boult was the lethal strike bowler which New Zealand have desired since Sir Richard Hadlee called time on his career.
In the New Zealand black, Boult almost felt like a superstar, an enigma with the white new ball in hand, swinging it both ways, and dismissing batters off both edges. The ODI format was one where he thrived the most, with his 211 wickets being the most for a bowler from New Zealand in the format. He would break games open with clusters of wickets in the powerplay, a hallmark of New Zealand’s resurgence in the format.
Here are the top three performances of Trent Boult in ODIs
6/33 vs Australia, Hamilton, 2017
Batting first against Australia in the third ODI at Seddon Park in Hamilton, New Zealand were able to manage a competitive score of 281 for 9 courtesy of a stunning 107 from Ross Taylor, with contributions from half-centurion Dean Brownlie, Mitchell Santner and Kane Williamson. Australian openers Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh got the team off to a flyer, but were not able to carry on after Marsh was run out. Boult got his first wicket of the game in the eighth over, removing Peter Handscomb. He dismissed Travis Head and James Faulkner in the same over in his second spell, reducing the Aussies from 173 for 4 to 174 for 6. He picked up the final three wickets after a rescue act from Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins to finish with figures of 6 for 33 from his ten overs, as the Aussies were bowled out for 257 to hand New Zealand the series at 2-0.
5/27 vs Australia, Auckland, 2015
Boult was one of the stand-out performers in the 2015 Cricket World Cup, picking up 22 wickets, joint-highest in the competition, as New Zealand finished runners-up. His best performance of the tournament came against co-hosts Australia at Eden Park in Auckland. Boult finished with figures of 5 for 27, reducing the Aussies from 80 for 2 to 151 all-out, in a fine spell of bowling with the old ball. While he was upstaged by Mitchell Starc’s six-wicket-haul, the Kiwis pulled through with a wicket in hand, with Kane Williamson hitting Pat Cummins for six to seal the game.
7/34 vs West Indies, Christchurch, 2017
Boult’s best ODI figures came against the West Indies at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. Batting first, the Kiwis put on a sizeable total of 325 for 6, with half-centuries from George Worker and Ross Taylor and a late 62-ball 83 from Henry Nicholls. The Windies were reduced to 52 for 4 in the powerplay, with Boult removing Kyle Hope, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer. Three wickets for Lockie Ferguson followed, after which Boult picked up the final three wickets to finish with figures of 7/34, the second-best figures by a New Zealand bowler in ODIs.
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.
Top three performances of Trent Boult in T20s
OTD 1989: Trent Boult was born
Top three performances of Trent Boult in Tests
OTD 2018 – Fakhar Zaman becomes first PAK batter to score ODI double ton
