'No one could move the ball like he could' - Trent Boult on his idol Wasim Akram

New Zealand left-handed fast bowler Trent Boult will be seen in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League, which is all set to get underway from September 19 to November 10 in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. The pacer was traded to Mumbai Indians from Delhi Capitals ahead of the 2020 edition. 

Boult reached UAE last week and is currently serving his mandatory six-day quarantine period as per the SOPs laid by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The Kiwi cricketer is passing his boredom by building legos and solving puzzles in his hotel room. He often shares his progress in building lego structures and solving puzzles on his official Instagram handle. 

On Wednesday (September 9), Trent took to his social media handle to organize a Question and Answer (Q & A) session to interact with his fans and followers across the globe. The pacer answered a variety of questions ranging from his personal life to professional strategies. 

“Pace comes with practice!” – Trent Boult’s advice to young bowlers 

Boult is hailed as one of the best limited-overs pacers in the modern era. Till now he has represented New Zealand in 90 ODIs and 27 T20 Internationals taking 164 and 39 scalps. A netizen questioned the left-arm swing bowler about his idol pacer. The user questioned, “Your Inspiration to become a fast bowler.” 

To this, Boult answered that though he admires a lot of cricketers, no one comes close to Pakistan’s Wasim Akram when it comes to swinging the ball. In his golden international career of 19 years, Akram went on to become ‘The King of Swing’. He hung his boots in international cricket after playing 104 Tests and 356 ODI Internationals taking 414 and 502 wickets respectively. 

Boult answered, “I have a lot of idols but this guy definitely inspired me to swing the ball! No one could move the ball like he could! @wasimakramliveofficial”

Further in the interaction, Boult also shed light on how the young bowlers should keep their consistency and pace with line and length. 

Answering a netizen, Boult said, “For me…the keys are two things- Run up and getting through the crease. The best drill for young kids is to get a long piece of string and lining it up all the way to the keeper. Then practice running and bowling straight along the line! Pace comes with practice! 

Mumbai Indians will lock horns against Chennai Super Kings in their first fixture for IPL 2020 campaign on September 19.