Trent Boult set the tone for the match with two wickets in the first two balls that he bowled. PHOTO COURTESY: ICC
Trent Boult denied an unconvincing New Zealand display against minnows Scotland on Tuesday has dented the co-hosts’ reputation as genuine World Cup contenders.
However, man-of-the-match Boult conceded the three-wicket win at Dunedin’s University Oval was tighter than expected but said it was still ‘job done’ for the Black Caps.
“Yeah, it got a little scarier than what we wanted, I guess,” the New Zealand paceman said after the Black Caps made it two wins from two Pool matches following a 98-run thrashing of Sri Lanka.
“When I’m rushing around the changing room trying to chuck the pads on, it means we might be in a little bit of trouble. But we got there in the end. We got the points and we got the job done.”
New Zealand dominated with the ball, after Boult set the tone by taking two wickets with his first two deliveries, but struggled with the bat as they lost seven wickets in pursuit of a modest 143-run target.
The 25-year-old said New Zealand’s batsmen, most of whom threw away their wickets cheaply with rash shots, would not be dwelling on their shortcomings against the unfancied Scots. “We got the points,” he reiterated. “Let’s move on to Friday [when New Zealand play England in Wellington]. We bowled well and set the game up and got through with the bat and got the result we wanted.”
On his own performance, Boult said he was thrilled to have transformed himself into a limited-overs threat after initially being considered a Test-match specialist only. “Test cricket is my passion, there’s no doubt about that. There’s nothing better than winning a Test match with the Black Cap on,” he said. “[But] I put a lot of focus into my game with the white ball, so it’s nice to be contributing and to get some accolades like I have recently is something I wasn’t necessarily expecting.”
Mommsen defiant as Scots unnerve New Zealand
Scotland captain Preston Mommsen said his side’s stirring display against New Zealand undermined the value of having the so-called “second-tier” nations at the World Cup.
Mommsen said his attack exposed New Zealand’s powerful batting line-up, something former world champions Sri Lanka were unable to do when they slumped to a 98-run defeat in Sunday’s opening match of the tournament.
“I think it showed their batsmen are vulnerable if you’re able to keep them under pressure consistently and put the balls in good areas, as any batsman is,” he said.
Mommsen added he was pleased with the way Scotland responded to a top-order collapse that left his side 12-4, with half centuries from Matt Machan and Richie Berrington giving them a glimmer of hope. “I’m very proud of the fight back and character we showed in the second half,” he said. “I was very disappointed with the first half performance, barring Richie and Matthew — but the fighting character, that’s something we’re proud of.”
Published in The Express Tribune, February 18th, 2015.
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