Skipper praises Boult’s efforts
When your senior men and matchwinners stand up under pressure, it all seems so simple.
After Kane Williamson defied cramp in his arms and could barely lift a drink to his mouth late in his man of the match knock of 118, Trent Boult bounded in and helped finish the job with the ball in Delhi.
Iced by Tim Southee, whose yorker to Jasprit Bumrah in the final over sealed New Zealand’s six-run win in the second one-day cricket international, it was suddenly crisis averted and onto Mohali tomorrow at 1-1 with three to play.
The Black Caps hadn’t risen to third on the ODI rankings by accident. Williamson and Boult played regular starring roles and it was on them primarily to haul New Zealand out of their Indian slump after the 3-0 test series hiding and the Dharamsala batting drama.
‘‘He was extremely clever, the way he tried to swing the ball early, then made the adjustment to come around the wicket with the low bounce not to give width. He was extremely accurate and a huge reason why we got across the line today,’’ Williamson said of Boult.
‘‘His 10 overs for 25 runs doesn’t happen very often and certainly a special performance to get us the win.’’
Defending only 242-9, against an excellent chasing team containing Virat Kohli and with evening dew making the ball slippery, the money was on India, who’d won their last seven home ODIs against New Zealand stretching back to 2003.
Boult showed signs in Africa, and even in the India test series on flat ones, of being close to his lively best. After a lengthy break, then a solid base of overs under the belt, he was back and not a moment too soon.
When he dug one in from around the wicket and enticed dangerous allrounder Hardik Pandya to slap a catch to long off, in the 49th over, Boult ended with 10-2-25-2. That’s almost unheard-of in Indian ODIs.
He’s only played 33 ODIs, Boult, at age 27. His career numbers of 61 wickets at 22.62 and economy rate of 4.73 scream out world class.
The best part for Williamson was his team summoned a fighting performance with the ball and in the field at the Feroz Shah Kotla.
There were big moments; when Mitchell Santner strangled Kohli down the leg side to a sharp Luke Ronchi catch for nine, then when Southee took a stunning return grab to remove MS Dhoni.
The skipper was 39 off 65 and ready to launch, when Southee dived low to his right. For Southee it was also a vital game to step up, after injuries and flat spells in 2016, and he responded at the death with 3-52 off 9.2 overs.
‘‘We wanted to go out there and fight and it was one of those surfaces where scrapping was important to try and build up that pressure. With a slightly damp ball it was an extremely good effort,’’ Williamson said.
Even Martin Guptill, who was skittled for a second ball duck, chimed in, almost by accident. Recalled spinner Anton Devcich was cramping in his calf after bowling nine overs, and after a conference with Ross Taylor and Southee, they took the ball off Boult and threw it to the part-time offspinner for the 41st over.
Guptill followed two leg-side wides with a full toss which Axar Patel hit straight to long on. When Amit Mishra skied one later in the over, Guptill had 2-6 and doubled his ODI career wicket tally.
And of course, there was Williamson. He called incorrectly, again, at the toss, and was in third ball. It was tough on a slow, holding surface and he battled some poor timing early to swing into gear, adding 120 with Tom Latham (46 off 46).
Williamson’s 128-ball innings stretched to the 43rd over as wickets tumbled around him. It was his eighth ODI century and edged his stellar average up to 47.33.