Boult ready for some backyard cricket
Last time Trent Boult played cricket for New Zealand at Bay Oval, he cycled to the ground. He could easily have walked, and not even broken a sweat.
This is Boult’s backyard, Mount Maunganui, which also happens to include the venue for tomorrow’s first test against England.
‘‘It’s about a five iron on a good day, just a couple of hundred metres down the road,’’ Boult tells Stuff.
‘‘I rode my bike down last time but that was just for a T20, so I’d better drive for a test match.’’
Captain Kane Williamson is a near neighbour, while Neil Wagner and Colin de Grandhomme are others in the test squad who will sleep at home rather than the team hotel and make the short trip to the ground across the five days.
New Zealand’s holiday playground is Boult’s too. But it’s also a place for hard toil and sweat for the leader of the Black Caps’ bowling attack to maintain his legendary fitness levels.
Exhibit A: Boult’s now traditional run up Mount Maunganui, elevation 232m.
For those of us in, let’s say, average physical shape it’s roughly 30 minutes of breathless slog to the peak to secure those spectacular views.
Boult’s personal best from base to peak is 10mins 9seconds. Impressive given the record for the annual race up and down, by top athletes, is 18min 45sec.
‘‘It used to be a superstition I’d do it before most tours and I’ve had a bit of time at home lately.
‘‘But I’m nowhere near my PB from when I was a bit younger.
In this part of the world you’ve got to make the most of the beach runs and the runs up the Mount. It’s a good place to train.’’
He’s a Bay of Plenty boy, all over. Born in Rotorua, Boult and family lived in Whakatane before he attended Tauranga Intermediate and Otumoetai College, then settled at the Mount after leaving school and becoming a professional cricketer.
Usually a place to escape cricket after long tours, going home to wife Gert and son Bowie, 14 months (with a second child due in the New Year), Boult likes the idea of test cricket making a brief visit to his home town. Bay Oval will become New Zealand’s ninth test venue.
‘‘It’s exciting for the region. A
‘‘It’s exciting for the region. A lot of people have been talking about this for a long time.’’
Trent Boult
lot of people have been talking about this for a long time and the ground is looking a picture and the forecast looks nice as well.’’
And it’s England. Not just for the rematch theme after that World Cup, but they happen to be Boult’s favourite test opponents.
The numbers back it up. In nine tests against England Boult has 47 wickets at 23.02, four runs below his career average. On
England’s last tour in March 2018, Boult took nine for the victory at Eden Park and ended the two tests with 15 in all.
The now-retired Alastair Cook fell victim to Boult and his outswinger nine times at test level, comfortably his mostdismissed rival.
Boult notes there’s some new faces in the top six: Rory Burns, likely debutant Dom Sibley and Ollie Pope, and predicts a good pitch on a fresh block but potentially some hard toil for the bowlers if the sea breeze blows.
‘‘Being so close to the water, generally the wind is always getting up. I know from experience it swings more when it’s not as windy. Hopefully it stays down and we get that ball moving around because we know how successful that is for us.
‘‘I’m just expecting a good wicket. Everyone wants it to be a good game and go the distance, or as long as possible.’’
Boult turned 30 a week after that agonising defeat to England in the World Cup final in July, and eyes his 64th test this week.
He and his mate Tim Southee both joined Sir Richard Hadlee and Daniel Vettori in New Zealand’s exclusive 250-wicket club in Sri Lanka in August. With five tests in a row now against England and Australia, then two more at home against India in February, Boult will rocket towards 300 in a hurry.
It all starts here, when test cricket comes to Boult’s backyard.