Trent Boult completes 150 wickets in ODI as second fastest bowler after Saqlain Mushtaq

Left-arm New Zealand seamer Trent Boult has come into the ICC World Cup 2019 with a lot of expectations. The 29-year-old was one of the joint highest wicket-takers in the 2015 World Cup held Down Under along with Australia’s Mitchell Starc. In the 2019 edition, too, he had a good start with three wickets from the first two matches. On Wednesday, Boult took 2 for 44 against Bangladesh at the Oval to help the Black Caps win by 2 wickets to go to the top of the points table. New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the first match in Cardiff on June 1.

With his two wickets against the Tigers, Boult also touched a record. The wicket of Mehidy Hasan Miraz who was caught by wicket-keeper Tom Latham was the 150th in the ODIs for Boult and he took only 81 matches to reach the milestone. Boult averages 24.80 in the 50-over format which he has been playing since July 2012 and has an economy rate of just over five. He has five fifers in the ODIs with the best figures of 7 for 34 against the West Indies in Christchurch in December 2017.

Saqlain entered the 150-wicket club with three games less than Boult’s

In the list of the fastest 150 wickets in ODIs, former Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq tops the list. Saqlain, who is one of those bowlers with a hat-trick in the World Cup, achieved the feat in 78 matches and averages less than 22 and has an economy rate of 4.29. Saqlain ended up with 288 scalps from 169 matches in the ODIs.

The bowler who Boult bettered to become the second in the list is former Australia speedster Brett Lee. The 42-year-old who has an impressive tally of 380 in 221 ODIs at an average of 23.36 and economy rate of 4.76, completed his tally of 150 wickets in 82 games.

Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis is the next in the list who completed the feat in 84 matches. He is followed by three South Africans all of whom entered the 150-wicket club in 89 games. Imran Tahir, who is playing in the current World Cup is one of them along with former pacers Allan Donald and Morne Morkel. Former Pakistan fast bowlers Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar reached the club in 91 matches each while spinner Saeed Ajmal did it in 93 matches. There are no Indian bowlers in the list yet.