North & South – June 2019

66 | NORTH & SOUTH| JUNE 2019

THREETOWATCHAT

THEWORLDCUP

KANEWILLIAMSON

Listentoanyintelligentconversation

abouttheworld’sbestbatsmen,

andtheNewZealandcaptainwill

beamongthosenamed.He’sbeen

rankedNo1 intestcricketandis

asgooda batsmanasNewZealand

hashad.Williamsonisa technically

superbbatsman,a sharpcatcherand

a deepthinkeronthegame.Watch

himinthefieldandyoucanseehis

mindracing,if he’snotconversing

witha bowlerormovinga fielder

toobtainmaximumeffect.Inthe

nicestway,he’salsosomethingof

anobsessiveoncricket.He’llgointo

theWorldCupwithanoutstanding

one-dayaverageof45.9.Hehas

made 31 internationalcenturies

forNewZealand,andnoneofthe

game’smajornationshasescaped

punishment.Hehastheability

topacehisinningstobemost

effective,easingthroughthegearsto

acceleratehisrunrateonceset.And,

tryasyoumight– andmanyhave–

youwon’tgethimtalkingabouthis

ownfeats.It’sallabout“theteam”

for this most modest of skippers.

NgātiPorou,NgāiTahuandNgāTeRangi

iwi,wasinChristchurchpreparingwith

hisNewZealandteam-matesforthethird

andfinaltestagainstBangladeshonthe

dayofthemosqueterrorattacks, 15

March.Hestillshakeshisheadatthe

memory.“Thefirstthing[thatcameto

mind]wasthisisn’tourcountry,”hesays.

“Weweretoldtorushbacktothehotel

becausethere’dbeena shooting.Youdon’t

believeit.Wetraveltheworldandwe’re

notabletogotocertaincountries[Pa-

kistanandalsoAfghanistan,whichwas

recentlypromotedtotestcricketsta-

tus].Butthisis ourcountry.Itwaspret-

tyunbelievable.”

AsfortheupcomingWorldCup,Boult

believestheNewZealandteamcan’tsim-

plyrepeattheirmethodsof2015,butwill

needtofindanotherwaytoskinthecat.

UnderBrendonMcCullum’sbracing,

assertivecaptaincy,theBlackcapscame

desperatelyclose,but“youneedyour

owncatchcriesandmotivations.AndI

likethenew[competition]format.”

All 10 teamswillplayeachotherthis

time,ratherthanbeingsplitintotwo

groupstofindqualifiersfora knockout

round.AsBoultputsit:“Lasttime,we

didn’tplayPakistanorIndia.Howcan

yousayyou’rechampions if you haven’t

played everyone?” +

intowardstheright-handbatsmanor

angledacrosshimtowardstheslipfield-

erschasingtheedgeofthebat.Thelat-

erit swings,themoredifficultit isfor

thebatsman.Deliveredata sharpbut

notexpressspeed,it’sa techniquethat

requiresskill,dedicationandhardwork.

Youdon’tgetthatgoodbyluck.

Nowaddintheathleticism,whichhas

broughthima swagofstunningcatches.

Hishand-eyeco-ordinationisimpres-

sive,whichmighthelpaccountfora golf

handicapoffour.ButBoultreckonshe

hasn’thada chancetoplaygolfsincehis

familygrewbyonewiththearrivalof

sonBowielatelastyear.HemethisTau-

ranga-bornwife,Gert,in 2013 andthey

marriedfouryearslater.Hisapprecia-

tionoflifeoutsidethecricketboundary

ropehasgrownwithhisson’sbirth.

“Youchattopast,orsenior,players

whohavekids,andyouseethemtravel-

lingaroundwiththem,”hesays.“They

sayhowquicklylifechanges,andhow

quicklyyougrowup.I thinkit putsinto

perspectivewhatI dofora living...bowl-

inga ballatpeople.

“It[remindsme]it’sjusta game–

cominghomeeverynighttoseemy

smilingbabyandmywife...it definitely

makesmemissthemevenmore.”

Boult, who has Māori heritage through

“It [reminds me] it’s just a game –

coming home every night to see

my smiling baby and my wife.”

NEW ZEALAND HERALD / PRESSPIX BY PAUL ESTCOURT NEW ZEALAND HERALD / PRESSPIX

Aboveleft:The17-year-oldTrentBoultfromŌtūmoetaiCollegewithNewZealand’sthen-starfastbowlerShaneBondin2007.

Boulthadjustwonacompetitiontofindthecountry’sfastestsecondaryschoolbowler.Aboveright:BoultandGertSmithat

the 2015 New Zealand Cricket Awards. The couple married two years later and their first child, Bowie, was born late last year.