Black Caps bowler Trent Boult has revealed his own connection with America’s Cup hero Peter Burling, while coach Gary Stead said he had a cheeky eye on a device as he travelled from Dunedin Airport to the team hotel on Wednesday afternoon.
The Black Caps, like many New Zealanders, were still buzzing on Thursday about Team New Zealand’s exploits on the water, expressing a mixture of pride and awe even as they prepared for the ODI against Bangladesh on Saturday.
Trent Boult attended Tauranga Intermediate School with ice-cool Team NZ hero Peter Burling.
On behalf of all the Black Caps, congratulations to Team New Zealand, Stead said.
I think it is awesome for the country. I was driving from Dunedin Airport back into the hotel here and we had it up on the phone screen having a look.
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It’s great for a small country like ours. It’s fantastic that we keep punching above our weight in the global area of sports.
Boult has the lesser-known link to Burling among the Black Caps. While it is relatively well known that injured captain Kane Williamson and Burling both attended Tauranga Boys High School, Boult and Burling were peers at Tauranga Intermediate School before their paths diverged.
It was a few haircuts ago but I went to Tauranga Intermediate with Peter Burling, Boult said on Thursday.
It’s been great to follow it over the last couple of months and it was an epic afternoon for them yesterday.
Im hoping they are still celebrating. It was cool to see everyone get behind it.
There were no tales about schoolyard cricket, however. Boult revealed that he didn’t even play the game until he was 11 years old and went to high school, while Burling’s singular focus on sailing was evident even at Tauranga Intermediate.
He was still into his sailing, he’s been into for a long time, Boult said.
I see him around a little bit. I’ve been on few flights with him and Blair [Tuke] as well, and they’ve definitely taken the world by storm.
Hes a typical, humble Kiwi bloke. He takes everything in his stride. When you see him out there he’s very calm and composed.
I’m not much of a sailor myself but he’d be a good man to have at the helm.
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Gary Stead says, It just makes you proud to pull on the silver fern and get out there.
The effect of Team NZ’s success on the rest of Kiwi sport is impossible to quantify, and when the Black Caps play their ODI against Bangladesh on Saturday their first game in the 50-over format for about a year the celebrations from the America’s Cup heroics will have died down a little.
However, Stead said the feelgood factor was real and reminded all sportspeople of why they dedicated their lives to their chosen discipline.
It just makes you proud to pull on the silver fern and get out there, Stead said.
Their result won’t have a breaking on how we play but at the end of the day it’s nice to see other New Zealanders perform on the international stage.
