ELEVENTH HEAVEN
Boult bats away promotion
He averaged 71 with the bat in test cricket last season, and last week hit his highest firstclass score, but Trent Boult wants to keep the Black Caps’ No
11 spot his own.
It might look laugh-a-minute stuff, what with his flamboyant movement around the crease and creative shot selection, but the country’s premier fast bowler – who became a father earlier this month after the arrival of a baby boy – has developed a knack of making contributions with the willow.
No better case in point was last summer, with Boult’s cameos in his three test digs of importance considering the situations.
Against the West Indies in Wellington his 18 not out off 60 balls helped debutant Tom Blundell to a hundred, the pair adding an unbroken 78 for the last wicket, allowing a declaration at 520-9 and paving the way for an innings and
67-run victory.
Then in Hamilton Boult teamed with Tim Southee for another demoralising 61-run
10th-wicket stand, this time hitting an unbeaten 37 off 27, as New Zealand won by 240 runs.
Even his 16 in the draw against England in Christchurch saw Boult and Neil Wagner add
39 for the last wicket to see the hosts trail only by 29, before Wagner and Ish Sodhi’s last-day heroics emphasised just what say the tail can have, as the Black Caps secured a series win.
Now, following an off-season where he faced just two balls in his Indian Premier League campaign with the Delhi Daredevils, Boult was back in the whites for Northern Districts in their Plunket Shield opener against Otago in Mt Maunganui last week, and the 29-year-old was back to his unorthodox and effective best with the bat.
With Otago rolled for 108, ND had crashed to 59-8. Enter Boult, who clobbered six fours and five sixes in making 61 off 37 ball. It beat his previous best first-class score, of 52 not out against Bangladesh in 2013, and got the hosts to 136, which led to an eight-wicket triumph.
All this betterment with the bat is enough to float thoughts of a promotion in the Black Caps’ order, in a summer where new
‘‘If I start moving up the order I’ll start thinking that I can bat better than I can, and that will probably be my downfall.’’
Trent Boult
coach Gary Stead takes over.
However, Boult sees the situation differently.
‘‘I do enjoy number 11,’’ he said. ‘‘I feel like that’s where I know my game, and know my role, and it’s where I keep it simple.
‘‘If I start moving up the order I’ll start thinking that I can bat better than I can, and that will probably be my downfall. So no changes in my thinking.’’
Despite his recent successes at the crease, Boult said there hadn’t been any extra focus put on his ‘craft’, but that all the team worked hard on it.
‘‘Bowling’s obviously my trade, and what I’m picked for at the end of the day. So that’s taking the majority of the focus.
‘‘I definitely enjoy my batting, I try to do it with as big a smile on my face as possible. We all know, tailenders, how frustrating it can become for the opposition when guys are willing to hang in there and obviously score runs and add to the total.
‘‘Generally you’re batting with a guy that’s established, so the main goal is not throwing away your wicket.’’
And if you find it hard to describe Boult’s unusual batting technique, you’re not alone. He himself needs help with that one too.
‘‘The main ingredient is being as still as I can when the ball does come down,’’ he said. ‘‘So if I am trying to move around a bit I generally get it out of the way before the ball is delivered.
‘‘I find that when I am batting my best I am generally just trying to hit the ball, so that’s as complicated as it gets with me.’’
After last week’s outing in his hometown, Boult is sitting out ND’s second-round game against Canterbury in Christchurch, enjoying quality time at home with his new addition. He had pre-planned paternity leave from the Black Caps’ Twenty 20 series against Pakistan in the UAE, and will jet out early next month for the ODIs and tests.
"It’s been a busy last couple of weeks, but he’s here finally, so I’ll have some extra days at home with him,’’ he said.
Then it’s onto building on a magical last season, having been named New Zealand test player of the year and Sir Richard Hadlee Medal winner as best overall player.
After becoming the sixth Kiwi to snare 200 test wickets, and the sixth fastest from any nation to notch 100 ODI scalps, Boult is currently the country’s topranked bowler in both test (No 6) and ODI (No 4) formats.
‘‘I was pretty happy with last year,’’ he said. ‘‘I got the ball doing pretty much what I was after. Obviously putting performances like that on the board, it’s about backing it up, and proving I can continue to get better.’’