Trent Boult

New Zealand|Bowler
Trent Boult
INTL CAREER: 2011 - 2024
Browse other players
West Indies
All

Alphabetically sorted top ten of players who have played the most matches across formats in the last 12 months

Full Name

Trent Alexander Boult

Born

July 22, 1989, Rotorua

Age

34y 241d

Batting Style

Right hand Bat

Bowling Style

Left arm Fast medium

Playing Role

Bowler

RELATIONS

(brother)

Rated as one half of the best new-ball pair in New Zealand history by Sir Richard Hadlee, Trent Boult is a left-arm quick who presents a significant threat to batsmen around the world with an ability to move the ball both ways even in unresponsive conditions.

Born in the Bay of Plenty region in New Zealand's North Island, Boult is, in the words of his brother Jono, a "normal sort of Kiwi young guy… into his golf and fishing and surfing." Cricket, though, was his calling. He lived in a neighbourhood which included eventual New Zealand team-mates Kane Williamson and Doug Bracewell, and had the backing of a supportive household that also kept him grounded. Signs of his skill were evident even as a teenager. As a 17-year-old, he was named the fastest secondary school bowler in the country. A year later, he was representing New Zealand at the Under-19 World Cup.

The transition to senior cricket, though, was not quite seamless. Boult suffered a stress fracture of the back in 2009 which put him out of cricket for two years and taught him to concentrate on strength and conditioning. There was speculation that the injury was a consequence of tinkering with his bowling action. So, under the supervision of one of his idols, Shane Bond, Boult reverted to the action he had used as a boy and the results were more than promising. By 2015, he was capable of long spells without wavering too far below the 140kph mark. He became one of New Zealand's irreplaceable players across formats and one of many protagonists in the side's march to their first World Cup final in 2015.

Boult had a tough time breaking into the limited-overs sides at first, due to a perception that he doesn't move the white ball as much as the red one. But his effectiveness in Test cricket was too compelling to ignore: he raced past 100 wickets in his 29th match and in 2013, only two years since his debut, he was New Zealand's top-wicket taker. With Brendon McCullum placing a high premium on attacking cricket in the shorter versions as well and Boult proving himself as a bowler who preferred getting batsmen out rather than keeping them quiet, it was a perfect fit. Confirmation came in World Cup 2015 when he ended up the joint-leading wicket taker with 22 scalps in nine matches including 5 for 27 in an epic victory over Australia. His worth in T20 cricket was emphasised by a (approximately) $600,000 payday in the IPL.

Boult's strength, according to Northern Districts coach John Pamment, is that, "he's got a lovely wrist position and the fact that the wrist goes right behind the ball gives him that control." Another asset for Boult is friend and sounding board Tim Southee. When on song, their partnership makes for compelling viewing, not to mention telling numbers. In 2014, the pair picked up nearly half the wickets New Zealand took - 67 of 143 - en route to the side's most successful Test year, with five wins in nine matches.

The pair have both raced past 200 Test wickets and by 2019 occupy third and fourth on New Zealand's all-time Test wicket-taking list behind Hadlee and Daniel Vettori. Boult was again magnificent in the 2019 World Cup helping lead New Zealand's attack taking 17 wickets. He took a hat-trick against Australia, and the key wicket of Virat Kohli in the semi-final win over India. He bowled the last over and the Super Over in the tied final against England and without some misfortune he may have won the World Cup for his nation.

Boult is also among the few fast bowlers who are exceptional fielders, and has a particular knack for one-handed blinders.
ESPNcricinfo staff

Trent Boult Career Stats

Bowling

FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
Tests781491741787173176/3010/8027.493.0054.918101
ODIs114113618051462117/347/3424.384.9929.21060
T20Is575712931720744/134/1323.247.9817.4200
FC11320623453116344336/3010/8026.862.9754.121181
List A143140761963752537/347/3425.195.0230.11260
T20s208208462062402414/134/1325.898.1019.1300

Batting & Fielding

FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAveBFSR100s50s4s6sCtSt
Tests78944675952*15.81126560.00018230430
ODIs114522821621*9.0027977.4100207430
T20Is5713748168.005390.560031220
FC1131365612126115.15217855.640213745590
List A143663327121*8.2135875.6900247530
T20s208543719223*11.29181106.0700810850
Trent Alexander Boult

Explore Statsguru Analysis

Test
ODI
T20I

Recent Matches of Trent Boult

Videos of Trent Boult

Photos of Trent Boult

Trent Boult and Dwayne Bravo lift the ILT20 trophy
Trent Boult struck in the powerplay once again
Trent Boult made early inroads for MI Emirates
Trent Boult got the key wicket of David Warner
Trent Boult got rid of Tom Banton
Trent Boult and Kane Williamson have a chat after New Zealand didn't start well