Shane Bond: A pacer who didn’t compromise on the pace even after being tested relentlessly by multiple injuries across his career.
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Shane Bond was as perfect a specimen as cricket could give this world. (Archive)
Fast, fierce, grey eyed, exactly six feet, long hair, trained as a policeman, wore black, on occasions white, and just a gift to watch on a cricket pitch. Across the 82 ODIs, 18 Tests and 20 T20Is and the many domestic games he played in, Shane Bond was as perfect a specimen as cricket could give this world.
A pacer who didn’t compromise on the pace even after being tested relentlessly by multiple injuries across his career.
“I loved that feeling of running in and bowling fast all the time and I just didn’t pull it back,” he said in an interview to Cricbuzz a few years back.
As the player turned coach turns 47, let us look back at some of his great moments on the pitch.
6/51 and 4/48 vs Zimbabwe (Bulawayo, Test, 2005)
Against a Zimbabwe team that wasn’t at its best but was still a tough competitor at home, Bond made New Zealand’s first innings total of 484 look big with a 10-wicket haul in the Test, giving away less than a hundred runs in his overall spell of 31 overs in the Test. He was named the player of the match and the two-match series.
5/23 vs Australia (Wellington, ODI, 2007)
Just ahead of the 2007 World Cup, Australia and New Zealand locked horns for a three-match ODI series. Bond took little time to get a hold of the situation in the first game as he ran through an Australia batting order that was missing some big names but was still very strong. 5/23 in 9.3 overs of bowling led New Zealand to dismiss their trans-tasman rivals at 148. Openers Lou Vincent and Stephen Fleming chased the total inside 27 overs without giving the Australia bowlers anything to take back home. Player of the match? You know who.
6 for 19 vs India (Bulawayo, 2005, ODI)
Another 2005 Bulawayo memory for the Kiwi quick came against the Indian lineup that boasted some ‘big’ names so to say in the mid-aughts. 215 wasn’t going to be a big total to defend had it not been for the then 30-year old who picked Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Venugopal Rao, Rahul Dravid, Mohammed Kaif and Irfan Pathan on his outing.
6 for 23 v Australia (Gqeberha, 2003, ODI)
A World Cup 6fer vs your arch rivals surely has the ingredients to be the most memorable of your cookings, right? Against an Australia batting lineup that was at the peak of its powers, Bond wreaked havoc in the Super Six stages of the tournament. It was a shame but not a surprise against a stern bowling attack that the New Zealand batters weren’t able to pull off a win. Bond’s spell though, is deservedly remembered as one of the best by a bowler at the World Cup.
2/57 and 5/69 vs West Indies (Auckland, Test, 2006)
A see-saw game of cricket as West Indies began their tour of New Zealand in March 2006. Batting first New Zealand had got to 275 and were able to take a first innings lead of 18 runs. The hosts then posted a total of 291 for the visitors. Powered by Chris Gayle and Daren Ganga, West Indies were marching strong towards the total having lost no wicket at the score of 148. A couple of quick wickets from Nathan Astle and then the lighting called Shane Bond struck. His 5/69 helped New Zealand win the first Test by 27 runs.
