Trent Boult

One of the finest new-ball bowlers of the modern generation, Trent Boult has evolved himself as one of the leaders of the pace attack and by the time he hangs his boots from international cricket, Boult will be considered as one of the best new-ball bowlers to have emerged from the country. A left-arm quick bowler who has the ability to swing the ball both ways, Boult can also produce some magical spells of swing bowling even on pitches that are not conducive for the fast bowlers. 

Growing up as a normal kiwi guy, Boult was into Golf, fishing, and surfing but soon realized that he had immense potentials as a cricketer. Growing up in a neighborhood that produced eventual New Zealand international players Kane Williamson and Doug Bracewell, Boult’s rise to the highest level was far from a smooth one. As a 17-year-old, Boult was named as the fastest secondary bowler in the country, and just in the next year, he was plying his trade for the national team in the U 19 World Cup. 

The left-arm speedster suffered a stress fracture in 2009 just when he was in line for graduation to the next level. He was out of cricket for the next two years and that made him realize the fact that he needed to concentrate on strength and conditioning. It was speculated that the injury was a consequence of trying to change his bowling style too often. He returned to the basics and it was under Shane Bond that Boult revived his bowling style from his school days. The results were quite immediate and by the year 2014-15, Boult had emerged the spearhead of the New Zealand pace bowling attack along with his partner in crime Tim Southee. 

His initial start to his limited-overs career wasn’t that great as the selectors had a preconceived notion that Boult won’t succeed in the shorter formats due to his inability to swing the white ball as much as the red cherry. However, the selectors couldn’t overlook him for a long time as his Test returns were quite staggering. He started to flourish under the captaincy of Brendon McCullum and his record across formats started to improve by leaps and bounds. 

Unlike many bowlers of the modern generation, he relied on taking wickets rather than containing runs and emerged as the leading wicket-taker for New Zealand. He showcased his full array of skills during the 2015 World Cup where he finished as the joint leading wicket-taker with 22 scalps under his belt in 7 matches. He was instrumental in New Zealand reaching their first-ever World Cup final. 

His magical run in the World Cup made way for his inclusion in the IPL as he was snapped up for a whopping amount in the cash-rich league. Since his IPL debut he has played for Delhi, Kolkata Knight Riders, and in 2020, Boult was one of the leading wicket-takers of the tournament while plying his trade for the Mumbai Indians. Along with Jasprit Bumrah, he forged a sensational camaraderie which eventually helped them win the title for the 5th time in IPL history. 

Boult had a sensational time with the ball in the 2019 World Cup bagging 17 wickets and taking New Zealand to the final of the tournament for the 2nd time in succession only to lose out to England by the narrowest of margins. He bagged a hat-trick against Australia and bagged the crucial wicket of Indian skipper Virat Kohli in the semi-final which paved way for yet another final berth in the quadrennial event. 

 His partnership with Tim Southee is one of the very best in the world and when on song this pair has the ability to dismantle any batting line-up especially in the longest format. In 2014, the pair bagged 67 out of the 143 wickets for New Zealand in Test cricket as New Zealand finished the year on a high, winning 5 of their 9 matches.