I'm an anxious batter, hitting 1 off 1 my greatest fear: Trent Boult

Chasing a modest 148, Rajasthan Royals (RR) finished the job with three wickets and one ball left against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur on Saturday (April 13). Shimron Hetmyer held his nerves and finished the job with his unbeaten 27 off 10 to hand his side their fifth victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Trent Boult watched the last five balls from the non-striker's end and says he was glad not to get the strike given that he did not want to live his greatest fear.

“I am a very anxious batter. Am not in this tournament to offer much with the willow. But I will put this on record that it's my greatest fear to potentially hit one off one ball. So I am very glad that didn’t happen tonight," Boult, who finished with figures of 1/22, said at the post-match press conference.

The New Zealand pacer, however, admitted that there were a few nerves in the dressing room during the closing stages of the match and it went deeper than expected.

“A very good game. Nice to have a couple of points. Probably a bit closer than we wanted at the end. With the quality of players on our side, we were confident of chasing that target always. [We had a] Couple of changes with the few injuries, so that’s why a different balanced side. We came and we got what we wanted, so a great game for us," Boult said

“To restrict Punjab Kings under 150 as a bowling unit was a big plus. Couple of injuries forced a slight change in batting line-up than what we are used to. It went deeper than what we thought. But it gives the guys an opportunity to put their hand up.”

RR have won five of their six games in the tournament so far, and take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) next on April 16 (Tuesday) - a game Boult is excited about.

“Every team is a good team. KKR are travelling very nicely and Eden Gardens is a great place to play cricket. Looking forward to the flight over there and turn up there in a couple of days time for what I am sure will be an exciting game,” Boult, who has six wickets at an economy rate of 7.30 in IPL 2024, said.