Now regarded as one of the mainstays of the New Zealand pace attack and one of the best pace bowlers in the world, twenty-five year old Trent Boult has the ability to bowl consistently at a brisk pace and is also able to move the ball both ways. His debut Test was a historic one, as New Zealand beat Australia by seven runs in Hobart in December 2011, their first win in the country since 1985. Boult had a good game too, taking four wickets, including Michael Hussey as his maiden Test scalp. Since then, he has been a consistent performer in Tests, picking up 123 wickets in 32 matches with an equally impressive record in ODIs of 44 scalps in 26 games.
Currently on a tour of England with the national side, Boult spoke exclusively to PakPassion.net where he discussed his bowling partnership with Tim Southee, the new found aggressive style of play by the New Zealand Test side, the experience of meeting Wasim Akram and Dale Steyn at the IPL and also looked forward to the ongoing series against England.
PakPassion.net : You've been playing international cricket for about three and a half years, do you feel you are approaching your peak as a fast bowler?
Trent Boult : Yes I guess that's right in a way, but I suppose the more you play, the more experience you get and the more confidence you get so I'm just loving playing for New Zealand at the moment and enjoying the recent success we've had.
PakPassion.net : How do you feel you have matured and developed as a bowler since your debut?
Trent Boult : I feel like I've come a long way since my Test debut in 2011. I guess I've picked up a lot more pace and when it comes to swinging the ball I have a lot more control over that now. I think I've grown with the experience and taken strides game to game really.
PakPassion.net : You defy the theory that to bowl over 90mph you have to be well over six foot tall and strongly built?
Trent Boult : For me, well, I'm not much more than a 90mph bowler now. I'm more about line and length and swinging the ball and working out batsmen in that regard, but it's amazing to see the different shapes and sizes that fast bowlers come in and all do different jobs for their respective teams. I'm probably about 6 foot 1" if I'm pushing it and I use as much of that 6 foot 1" that I can.
PakPassion.net : There have been some wonderful pace bowling pairings over the years, you and Tim Southee seem to be just getting better and better with time as a new ball pairing?
Trent Boult : Actually it's not really something that Tim and I talk about. It's just one of those things that we let happen. We've been good mates for a number of years and that helps the relationship. We are both very passionate about our role in the team and about representing New Zealand and it's great fun to bowl alongside Tim.
PakPassion.net : You mention the word relationship and when watching New Zealand it seems really clear that the squad have a great relationship with one another. I guess it helps that quite a few of you play for the same domestic team?
Trent Boult : Yes this spirit stems from Brendon McCullum and there are a lot of guys who have been mates for a long time. For example I've known Kane (Williamson) since I was ten years old and it's bizarre to be playing a Test match and a One Day International with a guy who I have known for more than fifteen years. There are some great friendships in the team and we love playing cricket together and working for the same cause.
PakPassion.net : You've previously mentioned Wasim Akram as one of your cricketing heroes. What was it about his bowling that appealed to you?
Trent Boult : Well he is a fellow left-arm pace bowler and he's been someone that I looked up to throughout my whole career. I loved watching Wasim Akram bowling. I grew up watching him as a kid and I used to love watching Wasim Akram come round the wicket and really reverse swing the ball and see the stumps flying out of the ground. The first time I actually met him was a few weeks ago at the Indian Premier League and I had the chance to have a chat with him and see how he operated and get his thoughts on my bowling. It was a cool learning curve and a great opportunity. It's always nice to meet your idols and it was great to meet him and finally get the chance to talk with him about bowling.
PakPassion.net : What did Wasim Akram say to you about your bowling?
Trent Boult : He said he'd been watching my bowling for a long time and he said he loved the control I had when I bring the ball back into the right-handed batsmen, which was really nice to hear. He offered me some advice on moving the ball away from the right-handers which is something that I want to work on, so it was a great experience to get that opportunity to meet and chat with Wasim.
PakPassion.net : How was the experience of being in the same squad as Dale Steyn at the IPL?
Trent Boult : My two cricketing idols are Wasim Akram and Dale Steyn. To get the opportunity to chat with them over the six weeks of the IPL was great. Dale and I only got one chance to play together at the IPL which was a shame but I've looked up to him for many years. He's the best bowler in the world and to get the chance to share the dressing room with him was awesome. We sat down and had a few coffees and talked over fast bowling which was really good.
PakPassion.net : The attacking approach of the New Zealand team in all formats is great for spectators, but what's it like to be part of?
Trent Boult : Well we all saw what happened in the second Test match against England and the intent that we came out with. The attacking approach definitely brings a different concept with the red ball and it all comes pretty much from Brendon with his aggressive mindset and it's definitely paying off at the moment. It's a great way to play the game in my opinion.
PakPassion.net : What was it like bowling in the not so helpful conditions that you will have encountered in UAE against Pakistan?
Trent Boult : The UAE is definitely one of the harder places that I have played cricket in, especially Test cricket. It's a totally different ball game out there and you have got to be very patient and willing to get through a lot of overs there. You have to be on your game and in it for the long haul and if you lose patience, that's when batsmen can get on top of you and you can lose your way a bit.
PakPassion.net : You're a bowler who can swing the red ball and the white ball on most surfaces and in all conditions. Is that down to skill, natural ability or hard work?
Trent Boult : I guess it's technique to start with and then you groom that technique over the course of time, so hard work does come into it as well. For me, my natural length is to pitch the ball up so that definitely helps and it's relatively straight forward for me as I like to pitch the ball up and look to try and take wickets. Also to have a good captain and team mates definitely helps.
PakPassion.net : What targets have you set yourself in international cricket?
Trent Boult : I've got my own private goals and I'm just taking it each match at a time. I've been looking forward to touring England for a long time and the result we got in the Test series was brilliant. I feel that it's fantastic to be part of such a close group and such a good team, I'm enjoying my cricket and hope that continues for a long time to come.
Currently on a tour of England with the national side, Boult spoke exclusively to PakPassion.net where he discussed his bowling partnership with Tim Southee, the new found aggressive style of play by the New Zealand Test side, the experience of meeting Wasim Akram and Dale Steyn at the IPL and also looked forward to the ongoing series against England.
PakPassion.net : You've been playing international cricket for about three and a half years, do you feel you are approaching your peak as a fast bowler?
Trent Boult : Yes I guess that's right in a way, but I suppose the more you play, the more experience you get and the more confidence you get so I'm just loving playing for New Zealand at the moment and enjoying the recent success we've had.
PakPassion.net : How do you feel you have matured and developed as a bowler since your debut?
Trent Boult : I feel like I've come a long way since my Test debut in 2011. I guess I've picked up a lot more pace and when it comes to swinging the ball I have a lot more control over that now. I think I've grown with the experience and taken strides game to game really.
PakPassion.net : You defy the theory that to bowl over 90mph you have to be well over six foot tall and strongly built?
Trent Boult : For me, well, I'm not much more than a 90mph bowler now. I'm more about line and length and swinging the ball and working out batsmen in that regard, but it's amazing to see the different shapes and sizes that fast bowlers come in and all do different jobs for their respective teams. I'm probably about 6 foot 1" if I'm pushing it and I use as much of that 6 foot 1" that I can.
PakPassion.net : There have been some wonderful pace bowling pairings over the years, you and Tim Southee seem to be just getting better and better with time as a new ball pairing?
Trent Boult : Actually it's not really something that Tim and I talk about. It's just one of those things that we let happen. We've been good mates for a number of years and that helps the relationship. We are both very passionate about our role in the team and about representing New Zealand and it's great fun to bowl alongside Tim.
PakPassion.net : You mention the word relationship and when watching New Zealand it seems really clear that the squad have a great relationship with one another. I guess it helps that quite a few of you play for the same domestic team?
Trent Boult : Yes this spirit stems from Brendon McCullum and there are a lot of guys who have been mates for a long time. For example I've known Kane (Williamson) since I was ten years old and it's bizarre to be playing a Test match and a One Day International with a guy who I have known for more than fifteen years. There are some great friendships in the team and we love playing cricket together and working for the same cause.
PakPassion.net : You've previously mentioned Wasim Akram as one of your cricketing heroes. What was it about his bowling that appealed to you?
Trent Boult : Well he is a fellow left-arm pace bowler and he's been someone that I looked up to throughout my whole career. I loved watching Wasim Akram bowling. I grew up watching him as a kid and I used to love watching Wasim Akram come round the wicket and really reverse swing the ball and see the stumps flying out of the ground. The first time I actually met him was a few weeks ago at the Indian Premier League and I had the chance to have a chat with him and see how he operated and get his thoughts on my bowling. It was a cool learning curve and a great opportunity. It's always nice to meet your idols and it was great to meet him and finally get the chance to talk with him about bowling.
PakPassion.net : What did Wasim Akram say to you about your bowling?
Trent Boult : He said he'd been watching my bowling for a long time and he said he loved the control I had when I bring the ball back into the right-handed batsmen, which was really nice to hear. He offered me some advice on moving the ball away from the right-handers which is something that I want to work on, so it was a great experience to get that opportunity to meet and chat with Wasim.
PakPassion.net : How was the experience of being in the same squad as Dale Steyn at the IPL?
Trent Boult : My two cricketing idols are Wasim Akram and Dale Steyn. To get the opportunity to chat with them over the six weeks of the IPL was great. Dale and I only got one chance to play together at the IPL which was a shame but I've looked up to him for many years. He's the best bowler in the world and to get the chance to share the dressing room with him was awesome. We sat down and had a few coffees and talked over fast bowling which was really good.
PakPassion.net : The attacking approach of the New Zealand team in all formats is great for spectators, but what's it like to be part of?
Trent Boult : Well we all saw what happened in the second Test match against England and the intent that we came out with. The attacking approach definitely brings a different concept with the red ball and it all comes pretty much from Brendon with his aggressive mindset and it's definitely paying off at the moment. It's a great way to play the game in my opinion.
PakPassion.net : What was it like bowling in the not so helpful conditions that you will have encountered in UAE against Pakistan?
Trent Boult : The UAE is definitely one of the harder places that I have played cricket in, especially Test cricket. It's a totally different ball game out there and you have got to be very patient and willing to get through a lot of overs there. You have to be on your game and in it for the long haul and if you lose patience, that's when batsmen can get on top of you and you can lose your way a bit.
PakPassion.net : You're a bowler who can swing the red ball and the white ball on most surfaces and in all conditions. Is that down to skill, natural ability or hard work?
Trent Boult : I guess it's technique to start with and then you groom that technique over the course of time, so hard work does come into it as well. For me, my natural length is to pitch the ball up so that definitely helps and it's relatively straight forward for me as I like to pitch the ball up and look to try and take wickets. Also to have a good captain and team mates definitely helps.
PakPassion.net : What targets have you set yourself in international cricket?
Trent Boult : I've got my own private goals and I'm just taking it each match at a time. I've been looking forward to touring England for a long time and the result we got in the Test series was brilliant. I feel that it's fantastic to be part of such a close group and such a good team, I'm enjoying my cricket and hope that continues for a long time to come.
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