Skip to main content

T20 World Cup: Trent Boult hopes to mirror what Shaheen Afridi did against India for New Zealand

T20 World Cup 2021: New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult said he is looking forward to bowling with the new-ball against Indian batters in their crunch Super 12 contest on Sunday. India and New Zealand are heading into the tie on the back of defeats to Pakistan.

Trent Boult said he is looking forward to India challenge on Sunday (AP Photo)

HIGHLIGHTSIndia take on New Zealand in a crucial Super 12 match on SundayTrent Boult said he is looking forward to bowling with the new-ball against IndiaShaheen Afridi ran through India’s top-order in Pakistan’s 10-wicket win

New Zealand pacer Trent Boult has sent a warning notice to India ahead of their big-ticket T20 World Cup 2021 clash in Dubai on Sunday. Boult said he will look to make good use of the new ball and hope to mimic what Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi did against India in their Super 12 opener last Sunday.

Shaheen Afridi jolted India’s top-order to get Pakistan’s campaign up and running in the T20 World Cup. The 21-year-old made good use of the conditions with the new ball in Dubai, removing Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul inside the first 3 overs of their big-ticket match. Shaheen got the ball to swing into the right-handers and dismissed Rohit for a golden duck with an unplayable yorker and castled Rahul with a bit of extra pace and swing.

Trent Boult will be leading New Zealand’s pace attack on Sunday, knowing India batsmen have had weaknesses to left-arm pacers in the recent past. In the 2017 Champions Trophy final, Mohammad Amir ran through India’s top-order while Boult did the damage in the 2019 World Cup semi-final.

“I suppose it depends on when I get the ball, I am not sure what the plan is with what overs certain bowlers are bowling. The way Shaheen bowled against India was amazing, but yeah India has quality batters, early wickets are the focus for us but we need to be nice and accurate of where we are trying to put the ball. Hopefully, it swings around a little bit and I can mirror what Shaheen did the other night,” Boult told the press on the eve of India’s clash against New Zealand.

Teams batting second have managed to win matches in Dubai in the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup but Boult said New Zealand can’t be relying on the toss and will look to do well in whatever opportunities they get.

India managed to post 151 against Pakistan in Dubai in their tournament opener but Babar Azam’s men got to the target in just 17.5 overs without losing a wicket.

“Whatever we do first, we need to do it well. India brings a lot of challenges, they are a quality side. But with the ball, we just need to be clear in our options on how to shut these people down and obviously give them a bigger chase as possible if we bat first. We look forward to taking it on,” Boult added.

Guptill fit for India clash, confirms Boult

There were doubts over Martin Guptill’s availability for the big-ticket clash against India in the Super 12 after he suffered a bruised toe in their match against Pakistan but Boult said the big-hitting opener is ready to take the field on Sunday.

“He is pretty good, he trained fully yesterday. He is definitely a big piece of the puzzle for us at the top of the innings. He is good to go,” he said.

Click here for our site’s complete coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

IPL 2022: Maximum of 4 players can be retained, new teams can pick 3 players before mega auction

IPL 2022: The BCCI, in a letter to the franchises, confirmed that the existing 8 teams will be allowed to retain a maximum of 4 players between November 1 and November 25. The two new teams can pick a maximum of 3 players before the mega auction. BCCI confirms IPL 2022 retention rules in a letter to franchises (Courtesy of BCCI) HIGHLIGHTSA maximum of 4 players can be retained by exisiting franchises before mega auctionExisiting teams can retain players between November 1 and 30New teams allowed to pick maximum of 3 players before auction Indian Premier League teams can retain up to 4 players in the lead up to the mega auction for IPL 2022, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has conveyed in a letter to the franchises. The two new teams who will be part of the next season will be allowed to pick 3 players before the auction. A source close to the board confirmed the developments to India Today on Saturday. The existing 8 franchises will be allowed to retain their players b...

Neeraj Chopra, Mithali Raj among 11 nominated for Khel Ratna, Shikhar Dhawan recommended for Arjuna award

The national sports awards committee Wednesday released the names of 11 athletes nominated for the Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna and 35 for the Arjuna award for 2021. Neeraj Chopra scripted history at Tokyo Olympics, winning India’s first-ever track and field gold medal (Reuters Photo) Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, Indian women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj and football legend Sunil Chhetri are among the 11 athletes nominated for this year’s Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna Award while cricketer Shikhar Dhawan is among 35 sportspersons who have been recommended for the Arjuna Award by the national sports awards committee. Last year, five athletes were picked for the award while four were selected after the 2016 Rio Games. The announcement of the national sports awards was delayed in order to consider the performance of the para-athletes in the Tokyo Paralympics (August 24 to September 5). Shooter Avani Lekhara and Manish Narwal, javelin thrower Sumit Antil and shuttlers Pramod Bhag...

I’m currently focused on my work with Al Sadd: Xavi on Barcelona coaching offer

Barcelona president Joan Laporta indicated on Friday that talks with Xavi, who enjoyed a trophy-laden 17-year spell at the club, had advanced but no agreement had yet been reached. Xavi signed a contract to extend his stay in charge of Al Sadd for another two years in May (Reuters Photo) Barcelona great Xavi Hernandez said he is focused on his role as manager of Qatari outfit Al Sadd, amid speculation that he could succeed Dutchman Ronald Koeman at his former club. La Liga side Barcelona sacked Koeman after a defeat by Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday and have since appointed “B” team coach Sergi Barjuan as interim manager. Barca president Joan Laporta indicated on Friday that talks with the 41-year-old Xavi, who enjoyed a trophy-laden 17-year spell at the club, had advanced but no agreement had yet been reached. “I’m currently focused on my work with Al Sadd and I cannot talk about anything else,” Xavi, whose side are preparing for a Qatar Stars League game aga...