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The best and worst case scenarios for Trent Boult - Sport - NZ Herald News
The best and worst case scenarios for Trent Boult
It was the news which sent a shiver down the spine. Trent Boult is returning home early from the tour of England with a back stress problem. While it is still to be full diagnosed, the S word is a cricket nightmare.
Legions of fast bowlers have had their careers damaged by stress fractures, although there are a few recoveries. New Zealand has a particularly bad history in this regard and it would be a disaster if the Boult-Tim Southee partnership cannot flourish. We take a quick look at some previous cases.
Dennis Lillee
The Good News. The legendary Aussie continued for a decade after suffering major problems in 1973. The administration abandoned him, but he was lucky in finding a physical instructor from his old school who came to the rescue. His torso was in laster for six weeks, and he underwent a ground breaking rehab programme during an 18 month hiatus. With a remodelled action, Lillee returned better than ever.
Waqar Younis
More good news. Injuries took a toll over time but the Pakistani legend did come back from stress fractures early in his career to bowl brilliantly and still with pace.
Pat Cummins
The Bad News. Decades on from the Lillee experiment, all the resources of Australian cricket still can't save a young bowler from the curse. Cummins had a terrific test debut as an 18-year-old before stress fractures struck, laying him low for three years. Lillee reckoned Cummins tried to hard in big matches, sacrificing technique for damaging grunt. Made the World Cup but suffered a side strain.
Chris Cairns, Dion Nash, Shane Bond, Geoff Allott...to name a few
The scourge of New Zealand cricket - potentially fabulous careers have been ruined or curtailed. Cairns suffered a stress fracture in his very first test, and ended up missing as many tests as he played with injuries. Bond was even worse, but refused to hold back in an effort to prolong his career. Some of didn't get a lot of public sympathy either, despite enduring endless operations, rehabs, pain. Bond publicly stated he was sick of the comeback efforts. Allott - a star of the 1999 World Cup - quit after suffering six stress fractures.
Ian Bishop
The super quick West Indian was the man to carry on the team's fast bowling traditions in the 1990s but his career was wrecked by stress fractures despite a radical altering of his bowling action.
Peter Siddle
Siddle's story offers some hope. Back fractures laid him low about five years ago but he has made a largely successful return, and was even over-bowled as a workhorse by Australia when needs must. Hit a speed bump last year though, when the test selectors said he was no longer quick enough.