Break does trick for fresher Boult
Trent Boult is happy to let everyone else get carried away with one of his best bowling spells in a black shirt.
The man himself was quick to fix his steely gaze on the relative cool of Pune, and New Zealand’s chase for their first one-day international cricket series win in India in game two tonight (9pm NZT).
Boult was exceptional with the new ball in Mumbai, snaring 4-35 in a fast, aggressive spell in oppressive humidity which set up the Black Caps’ six-wicket win over the world No 2 Indians.
Fair play to man of the match Tom Latham and Ross Taylor whose 200-run stand broke the back of the chase for 281, but without Boult’s key incisions it would have been much higher.
In his 52nd ODI, Boult’s fifth four-wicket haul ranked highly given the heat and super-confident opponents coming off a series win over Australia. He wasn’t keen to rate it, though.
‘‘I really don’t look into it. I take it as it was, it’s yesterday’s news. I’m happy with how it’s coming out. The warmup games, I used them nicely to get back into it,’’ said Boult, ranked seventh ODI bowler in the world.
‘‘I had a light three or four months so it’s nice to be fresh and firing and contributing for the side and for the country. It’s a good feeling.’’
That’s the key for Boult, who in the past as the go-to man for wickets has been bowled and bowled to near breaking point. After a torrid home season ended in March he was off to the IPL, then the Champions Trophy in June before he put the feet up.
Boult got married in August and enjoyed a complete recharge before preparing for this quickfire tour of three ODIS and three Twenty20s.
‘‘You’re always trying to find the right balance. I’d always marked those few months as a bit of R and R, a bit of time away from the game.
‘‘It was a big year last year, I only spent a couple of months at home as it was. It was nice to unwind and get a bit of time in the gym, a bit of running and refresh myself in that regard.’’
The speed gun doesn’t tell the whole story, but a fair chunk of it. Boult was consistently in the 140kmh range and it showed as the ball swung and India’s batsmen hopped about as he removed dangermen Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma inside his first three overs.
The blueprint remains for Boult and Tim Southee: taking wickets rather than just trying to restrict the scoring is the best way to quell a confident team.
‘‘The focus was how important the new ball was going to be. To take wickets in that first power play is crucial to set up a good position. We knew we had to be as aggressive as we possibly could.
‘‘It’s amazing how quickly you put that behind you then move on to the next one. The biggest challenge is backing it up on Wednesday.’’
Boult was happiest with the way all three disciplines fired in game one; the bowlers snared wickets throughout, the fielding was slick and Latham and Taylor anchored a clinical chase.
Rest and recovery with massage and pool sessions was the order for the tourists on the quick backup. A 3-2 defeat a year ago is the closest they’ve got to an Indian ODI series victory.