Brendon McCullum taught me to back myself: Trent Boult

The International cricket circuit is getting tighter in terms of schedule and the job is becoming tougher for the players. They are not just required to stay at the top of their game but also keep up with the demands of the highest level and maintain fitness. New Zealand’s premier pacer Trent Boult who opted out of a few matches in the recently concluded ODI series against the South Africans at home feels that has helped him stay fit for the Test series.

He almost bowled 48 overs in the 1st Test and that resulted in a groin injury that prevented him from bowling on the fourth day of the match and has been ruled out of the second Test. Boult talking in the commentary box during the first day of the ongoing second Test and said, “It’s a tough one. No-one wants to be rested or put aside or put on ice at any stage,”

Irrespective of the desire of the players to feature in all the matches across formats that the team plays it is becoming tough for them to meet up with the expectations physically. “Ideally I want to play every game in every format but realistically it’s not going to happen. All those one-day games in the South Africa series were big games but if I missed a couple of those, I might be out there today,” Boult added.

He wants to do things right to ensure he is fit in time for the third Test. “It’s a big one for us. I am doing everything right to make sure I can be out there and doing my thing. It’s about managing loads where you can at training. If you’re playing majority of the games, you can easily take off on the training loads and save yourself for the match.”

Boult praised Neil Wagner as the left-arm pacer has done his best whenever handed the opportunity by the team. “All the effort that he puts in – he literally keeps coming. To have someone like that in your side is immensely important,” the 27-year-old said.

Talking about his limited-overs game and how former skipper Brendon McCullum helped him improve as a bowler and to trust in his own abilities. Boult said, “I gained a lot of confidence in ODIs under Brendon [McCullum’s] captaincy. Everyone knows how well the side did over those weeks at the World Cup. He taught me back myself to pitch the ball up against quality batsmen and to get them out.”