Opinion
In the 1990s and early 2000s, New Zealand produced talented fast bowler after talented fast bowler.
Many of these talented fast bowlers had their careers cut short because of injury issues. The likes of Geoff Allott, Shayne O’Connor, Simon Doull and Dion Nash had brief careers and were prone to injuries.
However, there was one former Canterbury police officer who had it all. His name was Shane Bond.
The former Kiwi pace spearhead had every vital skill in the repertoire to survive at the international level. Despite impressing on so many occasions, Bond’s career kept stopping and starting. He missed plenty of matches due to lower back issues and other injury issues.
I and many other cricket fans wonder what could have been when I come to the case of Shane Bond. This article will cover seven of the best spells from Shane Bond across Tests and ODIs throughout his short but excellent international career.
1. 6-19 versus India, Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo, 2000
Overs: nine, maidens: three, runs: 19, wickets: six, economy rate: 1.90
In 2005, the ICC introduced a super-sub rule in ODIs where a squad could use their 12th man as a substitute during the game. The player that was substituted would not play any further part in the match.
India met New Zealand in the second ODI of the 2005 Videocon Tri-Series in Zimbabwe. Black Caps captain Stephen Fleming implemented the super-sub rule in this game. The Black Caps skipper substituted Nathan Astle for Shane Bond, and that move paid dividends for the Black Caps.
Bond, in his first international match against an opposition other than Zimbabwe after an injury lay-off, was at his best. Bond ripped through the Indian batting line-up with a six-wicket haul. The Indian batting line-up had no answer for the pace, bounce and skill of Bond.
He picked up the major wickets of Indian captain Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid to have India jittering at 3-17 after just 4.2 overs.
The delivery Bond bowled to dismiss Venugopal Rao was brilliant. The pacer executed a perfect in-swinging yorker at a searing pace. Rao had no answer for that delivery. He then came back to dismiss Virender Sehwag and Mohammad Kaif to complete a five-wicket haul. After just 13.1 overs, India were reeling at 8-44.
He then sealed the game by dismissing Irfan Pathan late in the piece to snare his best ODI bowling figures for New Zealand. Bond received the man-of-the-match award for his match-winning performance against India.
(Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images)
2. 6-23 versus Australia, St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth, 2003 ICC World Cup
Overs: ten, maidens: two, runs: 23, wickets: six, economy rate: 2.30, dots: 45
Although the Kiwis ended up losing this match, they still had a few memorable moments to dwell on from this game. One of those moments was Shane Bond’s excellent six-wicket haul.
Shane Bond loved playing against the best ODI team of his era, which was by far Australia. His outstanding record against the best team in the world, and one of the greatest ODI teams of all time, was something to marvel at. In 17 ODIs against the Aussies, he picked up 44 wickets at an average of 15.80 at a strike rate of 21.48 and an economy rate of 4.41.
He ripped the star-studded Australian batting line-up to shreds when the two teams faced off in the super six stage of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.
Bond dismissed both Australian openers, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden, along with Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting within 8.4 overs to have the Aussies in serious trouble. His pace, swing and bounce was too much for the Aussie batsmen.
He came back later to dismiss Damien Martyn and Brad Hogg to claim a five-wicket haul. The delivery he bowled to dismiss Hogg was a peach of a delivery. It was a fast, searing yorker at the toes, and Hogg could not get his bat to the ball in time.
He then dismissed Ian Harvey with a delivery that deviated and hit the middle and off stump. Bond claimed a six-wicket haul. He bowled his full allotment of ten overs before the 40-over mark. The Kiwi spearhead got the man-of-the-match award for his brilliance with the ball.
3. 5-23 versus Australia, Westpac Stadium, Wellington, 2007
Overs: 9.3, maidens: two, runs: 23, wickets: five, economy rate: 2.42, dots: 46
Shane Bond loved facing Australia. The Australian cricket team came to New Zealand for a three-match ODI series just before the 2007 World Cup. The Aussies felt the wrath of Shane Bond as the Kiwis bowled Australia out for 148 in 49.3 overs.
There were injuries to Brett Lee and Michael Clarke. Captain Ricky Ponting and vice-captain Adam Gilchrist did not go to New Zealand for the three-match ODI series. The Aussies got dealt a further blow when Bond’s figures of 5-23 led Australia to an embarrassing ten-wicket defeat.
(Photo by Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
He bowled Brad Haddin, Brad Hogg and Nathan Bracken, while he had Phil Jaques caught by Daniel Vettori. He deceived the Aussies with changes in pace and used his skill to pick up all five of his wickets. This was Bond’s fourth ODI five-wicket haul, and his third against Australia
However, the highlight was the astonishing caught-and-bowled dismissal of Cameron White, which is one of the all-time great caught-and-bowled dismissals ever.
Bond bowled a slower ball and White drove the ball back to Bond. The Kiwi was moving the other way while going through his follow through. He lunged low and moved to his right to take a one-handed catch inches off the pitch. Bond received the man-of-the-match award, and the Black Caps chased the target of 149 in 27 overs.
4. 5-25 versus Australia, Adelaide Oval, 2002 VB Series
Overs: 9.2, maidens: two, runs: 25, wickets: five, economy rate: 2.67, dots: 43
The 2001-02 Victoria Bitter Triangular Series between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa will remain a classic ODI series. Each team was in the running for a place in the final heading into the latter stages of the tournament. The Aussies struggled to beat the Kiwis, the Kiwis struggled to beat South Africa, and the South Africans struggled to beat Australia.
In the end, the Aussies got knocked out of the series in the round-robin stages and Australian captain Steve Waugh quit captaining the ODI team.
The Aussies faced the Kiwis in Adelaide, where Shane Bond picked up the first of his three ODI five-wicket hauls against Australia. In a man-of-the-match performance, Bond breached the 140 kilometres per hour mark, and on some occasions, touched the 150 mark.
He obliterated the Aussie top order in a spell where snared three wickets in the space of 17 deliveries to have the Aussies in trouble at 4-26 after 7.2 overs. The highlight of Bond’s excellent spell was the delivery to dismiss Adam Gilchrist. It was a searing, swinging yorker that Gilchrist failed to get the bat down to, and it rattled his stumps.
5. 4-33 versus India, Basin Reserve, Wellington, 2002
Overs: 13.1, maidens: five, runs: 33, wickets: four, economy rate: 2.50
India toured New Zealand in 2002 and had a horrible time in the land of the long, white cloud. The tourists only defeated the Kiwis twice on the entire tour and lost five ODIs and two Tests.
The tour started off on a horrible note for India, with a ten-wicket loss at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, where Shane Bond ripped their world-class batting line-up to shreds.
In a low-scoring match, Shane Bond gave the Indian batsmen nightmares in the second innings. He got rid of four of the top five Indian batsmen in Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Indian captain Sourav Ganguly and the ‘Little Master’ himself, Sachin Tendulkar.
(Duif du Toit / Gallo Images/Getty Images)
On a challenging pitch, the Indian batsmen struggled to contain Bond, who was not only economical, but lethal. The first of his victims was Virender Sehwag, who he trapped LBW in front for 12 runs. Then he dismissed Rahul Dravid for seven with an unbelievable in-swinging delivery that came back into Dravid. Bond went straight through Dravid’s defence and smashed the stumps.
He then had the Indian captain dismissed with a nick behind for two to the wicketkeeper Robbie Hart. Bond then had Tendulkar chop on to the stumps by a lack of bounce for 51.
6. 5-78 versus West Indies, Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados, 2002
Overs: 21, maidens: seven, runs: 78, wickets: five, economy rate: 3.71
This tour was a historic tour for the Black Caps. They won their first Test series in the Caribbean, and it was on the back of some excellent batting from captain Stephen Fleming and Nathan Astle. However, it was the player of the series Shane Bond who sealed the historic victory.
He did that with a five-wicket haul in the second innings to guide the Kiwis to a famous 204-run victory over the West Indies. New Zealand set the Windies a tough target of 474 to win the first Test at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.
Shane Bond bowled an important spell where he picked up the key wickets of Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and the big fish Brian Lara. Bond bowled Lara with a beautiful delivery that hit the middle and off stumps. Bond got hit for two consecutive fours before he bowled Lara with a peach of a delivery. He then came back to dismiss Pedro Collins and Mervyn Dillon to complete the victory for the Kiwis.
7. 4-39 versus India, Seddon Park, Hamilton, 2002
Overs: 14.2, maidens: seven, runs: 39, wickets: four, economy rate: 2.72
The bowlers had a great time in the second Test between India and New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton in 2003. No batsman from either side scored a Test half-century. This was the first time in 21 years of Test cricket that such an event has happened.
Shane Bond, along with man of the match Daryl Tuffey, ripped through the Indian batting line-up. The Kiwis bowled India out for 99 in 38.2 overs. Bond picked up the key wickets of Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman. He then came back later in the piece and dismissed Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra.
The delivery to dismiss Sehwag was a snorter of a delivery. Bond bowled a short and fast delivery at Sehwag, who tried to evade the vicious delivery. Sehwag only got a top edge to Mark Richardson at short leg. The Kiwis clean-swept India 2-0 and Bond was the pick of the bowlers throughout the two-Test series, picking up 12 wickets in four innings.
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