The keen supporters of cricket are well conscious of the term ‘sledging’. Basically, it’s a process in which some players seek to gain a benefit by insulting or verbally intimidating the opposing player. The whole purpose of sledging is to try and deteriorate the competitor’s concentration, thus instigating them to make errors.
Sometimes the players get involved in funny banters on the field, which becomes a memorable moment for them. Remembering a similar experience, New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult recalled his Test debut series against Australia and revealed how the Aussies welcomed him.
Boult said that he had braces on his teeth when he found out about his selection for the tour. The left-arm pacer debuted at Hobart against Australia in 2011, when he was just 22 years old.
“I had braces the week before I got selected and I remember going to the orthodontist and saying: ‘I can’t go to Australia with a set of braces on my teeth’,” said Boult during a chat on Black Caps’ YouTube channel with teammate Kyle Jamieson.
The 30-year-old paceman reminisced the traditional welcome he received from the Australian team when he came out to bat. Boult even admitted that he was nervous coming down to face the Kangaroo attack.
“I specifically remember it, I walked out there to bat, absolutely packing myself and Brad Haddin looked at me and goes ‘mate, does your mother know where you are?’,” added the North Islander.
Boult stated that it was a tough encounter but winning the contest, in the end, gave a great feeling.
“He was just getting into me, and I stung myself… [but] I remember the celebrations after that, winning by six (seven, actually) runs,” concluded the Kiwi pacer.
So far, Boult has appeared for New Zealand in 67 Tests and has taken 267 wickets. He is currently fourth in the list of his country’s all-time wicket-takers. Boult is sitting just behind Richard Hadlee (431), Daniel Vettori (361) and Tim Southee (284).
