Trent Boult has a fair idea about the wickets in the United Arab Emirates and is banking on that knowledge to steer the fortunes of the Mumbai Indians at the ongoing Indian Premier League.
“It’s really early in the tournament. The most exciting part is that there has been three amazing games in the tournament and I am presuming that the wickets are going to change – not drastically but it will deteriorate over the next couple of months,” Boult, who is one of the bowling mainstays for Mumbai Indians this season, said in an interaction ahead of the team’s fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday.
“It’s pretty hot here, so the day games will be interesting to follow but with the heat, humidity and how the wickets seem to quicken up a little bit under lights, it will take a bit of time to bat. But whatever we do first, we need to do it well,” Boult said.
This is his first stint with the Mumbai Indians and he has enjoyed bowling with Jasprit Bumrah so far. “Obviously, we have played only one game, but yes, there has been an opportunity to bowl (with) Bumrah and the likes of other guys in the bowling attack as well. It’s very exciting and a good opportunity to learn. Boom (Bumrah) is a guy who is very experienced and has amazing skills. I am looking forward to having some success with him,” Boult said.
In the opening fixture, Bumrah conceded 43 runs in his four overs and initially struggled for momentum. “He is trying very hard over last couple of days to found (find) that rhythm, I am 100 per cent sure he will be on the mark in the coming games, he is a big player for us and very important bowler and I am sure he will bounce back nicely…” Boult said.
Accuracy and execution
In the opening fixture against Chennai Super Kings in Abu Dhabi last week, Mumbai Indians failed to defend 162. With CSK requiring five runs off the last over, Boult was brought into the attack, but that did not serve the purpose for Mumbai.
“We were a couple of runs short in terms of our total (to defend). Coming into bowl the last over with 5 runs, there is nothing much I can do about that. But I think it is a good place to start from. We can tighten up in a couple of small areas with accuracy and execution. And that’s what we look to do over the next couple of games,” he said.
With the lockdown, Boult did not play cricket for nearly six months, but he is happy to be back in business. “From my point of view, coming off from winter in New Zealand with lockdown and isolation there, I haven’t played cricket for probably six months. I was happy with the way I came out, obviously the conditions are a lot different from that back home with heat and humidity here,” he said.
Talking about the challenges of bowling in the death overs, Boult said: “It is the biggest challenge in the game to be honest. It is very difficult to come in and bowl the last couple of overs against the batsmen that are set. (Faf) Du Plessis was set the other night (against CSK) on 50 or 60 runs and when guys are hitting from that platform, it is very hard to defend, but personally I want to try and stick to my strength, try and execute yorkers and take pace off it and just try and stick ahead of the batsmen.”
The match against Knight Riders is being touted as a clash between him and Andre Russell. Talking about that, he said: “He is one of the most destructive batsmen in the game at the moment... I love taking on the big players and look to take their wickets. I will be looking forward to taking the challenge… but he is a very exciting player.”
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