Trent Boult at T20 World Cup: How the career played out

Trent Boult bid farewell to the T20 World Cup after he played his last match in the premier event against Papua New Guinea at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba on Monday.

Boult, who represents Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, picked up 2/14 in New Zealand’s last league game of the T20 World Cup 2024 to bow out on a high.

"Feels a bit weird, a few emotions over the last couple of days, gutted to not go further, but proud of what I've done in the Black Cap,” Boult said. “I enjoyed being out there… It's about moving forward from here.”

Boult had announced earlier that the match against PNG would be his last in the T20 World Cup. That brings the curtains down in the T20I World Cups for one of the most decorated players in New Zealand cricket.

The 34-year-old Boult has a total of 34 wickets from just 18 matches for the New Zealand cricket team in the T20 World Cup. He is second only to Tim Southee, who leads the Kiwis’ T20 World Cup bowling charts with 36 wickets. Boult, a left-arm pacer, has an impressive average of 12.50 runs per wicket in the T20 World Cup with an economy of 5.93 and a strike rate of 12.64.

Here is a look at Boult’s journey through the marquee events which he has been part of.

Trent Boult at T20 World Cup 2014

Boult played his first T20 World Cup match against the Netherlands in Bangladesh in the 2014 campaign picking up 1/25 in his four overs. In the next match against Sri Lanka, Boult registered 3/20 in a losing cause. However, his impressive spell included both the openers and the current Royals’ Head Coach Kumar Sangakkara, in his first three overs in the powerplay.

However, New Zealand could not qualify for the knockout phase of the tournament and Boult finished the campaign with four wickets from two games.

Trent Boult at T20 World Cup 2016

Though Boult was part of the New Zealand squad for the 2016 edition in India, he could not make it to the playing XI in any of the matches. New Zealand reached the semifinals where they lost to England.

Trent Boult at T20 World Cup 2021

Boult played a key role in New Zealand’s best performance in the history of the T20 World Cup in 2021 held in Oman and the UAE with the Kiwis reaching their maiden final. The left-arm pacer was the Black Caps’ top wicket-taker, and joint-second overall with 13 scalps from seven matches.

In New Zealand’s last group game against Afghanistan, Boult finished as the top wicket-taker with figures of 3/17, which fetched him the Player of the Match award. New Zealand had an excellent start with all three pacers picking a wicket each to reduce Afghanistan to 19/3.

But, Afghanistan fought back well to be placed at 115/5 at the end of 18 overs. Boult, bowling the penultimate over, jolted Afghanistan’s progress with two wickets including Najibullah Zadran, who top-scored in the match with 73 runs off just 48 balls. Chasing 125 the Kiwis registered a comfortable eight-wicket win.

Boult also put in an impressive performance in the final against Australia with a spell of 2/18 but that was not enough as the Kiwis fell short in the final hurdle. He averaged 13.30 with the ball at an economy of 6.25 and a strike rate of under 13 at the T20 World Cup 2021.

Trent Boult at T20 World Cup 2022

Boult was once again in the thick of things in the 2022 World T20 when New Zealand made their third straight appearance in the semi-finals of the tournament held in Australia. The pacer pocketed eight wickets from five matches at an average of 18.50 and with an excellent strike rate, striking every 15 balls to earn a dismissal.

Boult also registered his career-best T20I figures of 4/13 in a group match against Sri Lanka at Sydney, which the Kiwis won by 65 runs. Batting first, New Zealand posted 167/7 on the board.

Boult was brilliant with the new ball as he rocked the Sri Lanka top-order with a double strike in his first over, the second of the innings. He struck again in his next over to have the Lankans tottering at 8/4. Boult snuffed out any hopes of a Sri Lankan comeback dismissing their skipper and top-scorer Dasun Shanaka, guiding the Kiwis to a comprehensive 65-run win.

Trent Boult at T20 World Cup 2024

Boult finished the T20 World Cup 2024 as the highest wicket-taker for the Kiwis with nine wickets in four matches. He averaged an astonishing 6.55 at a miserly economy of 3.68 along with a strike rate of 10.66 at the showpiece event.

Boult’s 3/16 against co-host West Indies was one of his standout performances at the T20 World Cup 2024. Opting to bowl first, Boult provided a perfect start with a wicket maiden to trigger the Windies’ batting collapse.

Boult later came back into the attack to dismiss dangerman Andre Russell with a deceptive off-cutter. He completed his spell by cleaning up Alzarri Joseph for his third and final wicket of the match. Though the Kiwis restricted the West Indies under 150, they lost the contest by 13 runs.