Trent Boult is a smooth operator. The left-armer is not just a Sultan of swing, he’s a lot more than that. He can bowl at varying lengths and angles, employ the short-pitched stuff effectively.
A beaming Boult said after the third day’s play on Sunday, “It’s turning into a pretty good wicket. My accuracy was probably better and coming around the wicket was a good option.”
Bowling at the Basin
Talking about the dynamics of bowling at the Basin Reserve, Boult said, “Generally the wind is the biggest thing to deal with. But if I can chop and change those angles and not let a batsman get familiar with what I am trying to do, I can succeed.”
Boult said the luxury of being a left-armer was being able to use those subtle changes.
He said, “The red balls here in New Zealand haven't been swinging as much as they have in the past and if that's not happening for me then it comes down to changing angles and using different parts of the crease.”
The last few weeks have been tough for Boult; he’s had to grapple with fitness concerns. He said, “I’m just happy to be back out there. I’ve been pretty light on Test cricket and it’s been a little frustrating on the sidelines.”
Queried about his creative batting — his thrill-a-minute 38 was among the high points of the day — Boult said, “I enjoy my batting, it looks like I’m laughing and mucking around but nice to make contact with a couple today.”
On bowling short and round the wicket — a line Neil Wagner specialises in — Boult said, “Indian batsmen like to feel the bat on ball and free their hands... I’m not giving you all my secrets, but I’m going to bowl around the wicket to change that angle."
The ploy works
On his short-ball ploy against Virat Kohli, Boult said, “When he hits he hits well and gets boundaries. From our point of view we were trying to dry that up and for me personally using the wicket and the shorter ball was a good plan to try and control his run rate.
“It was nice to draw the error out of him.”
