[Watch] Trent Boult's twin strikes propel MI NY to a dream start against TSK in Qualifier 2 of MLC

Kiwi pacer Trent Boult scalped two vital wickets in the third over of Qualifier 2 to help MI New York (MI NY) get off to the perfect start against the Texas Super Kings (TSK) at Dallas on Friday, July 28.

Winning the toss and bowling first in the marquee encounter, Boult bowled a tight opening over and followed it up with a double strike in his second over. He picked up the wickets of TSK skipper Faf du Plessis and fellow Kiwi teammate Mitchell Santner three balls later to derail the Super Kings' innings early.

Following a series of inswingers in his opening over, Boult moved one away from Faf off a good length and found the leading edge of the bat for a simple catch to backward point.

Three balls later, the wily 34-year-old shaped one away from Santner and found his outside edge for a regulation catch for wicket-keeper Nicholas Pooran.

Here is a video of Boult's sensational double strike:

The veteran pacer returned to pick up two more wickets in his second spell and finish with outstanding figures of 4/24 in his four overs.

It also took Boult's league-leading wickets tally to 19, with a phenomenal bowling average of 10.21 in seven innings. The Kiwi star picked up two wickets in the group stage meeting between the sides, despite MI NY suffering a 17-run defeat.

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"Bowled a lot to Faf, I've got a feeling about where to bowl to him" - Trent Boult

Trent Boult felt that having bowled to Faf du Plessis so often in their respective careers has helped him with the areas to bowl to the former South African captain.

Although the left-arm seamer has dismissed Faf only twice in International cricket, he has gotten the better of him four times in other T20s, with the batter averaging only 26.5 at a 103 strike rate against the pacer.

Continuing his red-hot form through the inaugural MLC tournament, Boult picked up his third consecutive four-wicket haul. It helped restrict TSK to a moderate total of 158 in this win-or-go-home fixture.

At the mid-innings break, Boult said:

"Something just seems to be happening, nice to get a few up at the top. Best wicket we've come across in the past week. 158 is a decent score, we need to bat well to chase it down. It's about showing some good intent and getting off to a good start. Bowled a lot to Faf, I've got a feeling about where to bowl to him. You always want to get wickets but controlling the run-rate and making it tough for them in the back-end is a good philosophy."

MI NY chased a similar target (155) in the group stage outing between the sides but fell short by 17 runs. The winner of this clash will take on table-toppers Seatle Orcas in the grand finale at the same venue on Sunday, July 30.