Trent Boult adding new Skills to his Batting

Trent Boult is known more for his swing bowling, but, watching him bowl against the Gujarat Lions in IPL Qualifier 2 on Friday, it seemed he had been adding some other things to his repertoire behind the scenes.


While, he was handed the white kookaburra to go first up, he bowled at good pace putting the ball at good length and getting it to nibble a little bit as well, but, when he returned just ahead of the second strategic time out to bowl for the second time with the ball having turned slightly greyish and not capable of swinging at all, he bowled slower balls using his wrists.

It was something he was seen doing for the first time. Earlier his bowling in the death was not too different from what he would deliver at the beginning. His length would have been the same all the time and pace too and that’s why, although, he was a tough customer to deal with upfront, the batsmen could get him away for runs later for the length that he provided.

The good length is the length to bowl only when the ball changes its trajectory slightly in the air, but, if it’s not happening and the ball is going straight on, then, that’s a run getting length because the batsmen can then loft it and can get muscle behind it too. So, the change ups and that too of various types are quite must nowadays.

As far as Boult is concerned, he did not get all of his slower deliveries on target in Friday’s match and a couple were even smashed for four, but, the more he uses those balls in the matches, the more control he would achieve.

His economy in the match was 9.75 as he conceded a total of 39 runs.