Description
Shane Bond was born in Christchurch on June 7, 1975. A former New Zealand coach and bowling coach of the Mumbai Indians, he was described as the “best fast bowler New Zealand has produced since Sir Richard Hadlee“. Besides representing New Zealand in Tests, ODIs, and Twenty20 Internationals, he played domestic cricket for Canterbury and English county cricket for Warwickshire and Hampshire. He served in the New Zealand police force prior to becoming a cricketer.
During the 2003 World Cup, Shane Bond’s fastest delivery was clocked at 156.4 km/h.
As James Bond did his enemies, Shane Bond pounced on batsmen with a right arm that moved quickly and furiously.
Shane Bond will be remembered as much for his fearsome skills as for his frustrating injuries. In the post-Hadlee era, Bond was the best pace bowler for New Zealand, but he missed more games than he played.
His ability to combine speed with control and accuracy helped him find success in all forms of the game, as opposed to some other fully fast bowlers.
Prior to his retirement from Test cricket in December 2009 at the age of 34, he had only played 18 Test matches for New Zealand since his debut in 2001/02.
As Bond’s occasional cricket matches interrupted his downtime, injuries seemed less of a limitation on his career. One of the most serious was a back problem in 2003 that forced him to miss nearly two years of work and required titanium wires to fuse his spine. Bond also had various knee, foot, and other body parts issues, but he was always determined to play.
It may have been possible for him to play more cricket if he had been willing to drop his pace and take things easier.
As a batsman, Bond tended to bat quite low in the batting order, usually at nine or later, but he was capable of slogging some quick runs towards the end of an inning. Shane Bond could close down the innings with a couple of boundaries.
International Career
As a result of an impressive performance against the Australian academy during the 2001/02 season, Bond received a call-up to the New Zealand Test squad to tour Australia.
Due to his extra pace, he was selected ahead of Chris Martin in the second test at Hobart. Taking one for 135 in Australia’s only innings in a rain-affected match, he had a forgettable debut.
He took two for 154 in the third test at Perth, which ended in a draw. Taking 21 wickets in nine games in the 2001–02 VB Series against Australia and South Africa earned him player-of-the-tournament honors. As a result of a foot injury that marred his career after the tournament, he returned to action for New Zealand’s 2002 tour of the West Indies. During the Caribbean series, he was the side’s top wicket-taker. The 2003 World Cup saw Bond continue to bowl well, again leading the New Zealand bowling averages.
The fact that he did not pursue that path shows his competitive nature; when he had the ball, the game was always elevated. With his athletic activities, he was able to swing the ball late at speeds over 150 kph. The toe-crushing yorker’s he threw at the world’s best batsmen were a specialty; Ricky Ponting was bowled out by Bond in all six ODIs they played.
The surgery he underwent in 2004 was only partially successful in preventing further injuries. A knee injury, a back injury, and an abdominal tear plagued him later in life. Both international and domestic cricket appearances were limited by these problems, along with a late start to his full professional career.
Shane Bond was a key player for the Kiwis against Australia, and his 44 wickets at 15.79 were a sign of his great skill. In 2006–07, he scored a hat-trick in Hobart. Bond came back and took 17 wickets at an impressive average of 17.94 in the 2003 World Cup for New Zealand.
A personal favorite is Shane Bone’s 6 for 23 against the world champions at the 2003 World Cup.
Following his World Cup semi-final performance, he signed with the ICL, leading to a two-year hiatus from international cricket.
His last appearance wearing New Zealand colors came in September 2009, during a Twenty20 match against Sri Lanka in Colombo. During the Dunedin Test against Pakistan, he was able to work his way back into the Test squad and put in one more match-winning performance. He decided to concentrate on limited-overs cricket after suffering an abdominal tear midway through the series.
Post-retirement
Bond was selected to play for the Kolkata Knight Riders, owned by Shahrukh Khan, in the third season of the Indian Premier League. Shane Bond was one of the main attractions at the IPL auction for its third season, with a price tag of more than $700,000.
Despite a modified action, the injuries returned, forcing him to retire from all forms of cricket shortly after he returned to international cricket.
Interesting Stats
The strike rate of Bond’s bowling in Test matches is the second-best of all time after that of George Lohmann. (The criteria are among bowlers who have bowled a minimum of 2,500 deliveries.)
Family
Shane Bond attended Papanui High School. Tracey Bond is his wife. He also has three children.
Domestic Career
On January 20, 1997, Bond made his Canterbury first-class debut against the Central Districts. At 21 years and 7 months, he was relatively old when he made his first-class debut. He played relatively little first-class cricket during the first three years of his career, playing only 12 matches for Canterbury. He had solid bowling figures in his first three seasons, but they weren’t remarkable. Since joining the New Zealand Police in November 1999, Bond has been unable to play cricket professionally for one year.
In the 2000–01 season, he returned to Canterbury and had reasonable success. During the 2001–02 season, he received his first international opportunity, but due to injuries and international commitments, he was unable to play for Canterbury, appearing in only eight State Championship games and ten State Shield games overall.
English County
He played three County Championship games for Warwickshire in the 2002 season, finding moderate success with the ball. In 2008, he returned to England to play for Hampshire, taking 19 wickets at an average of 19.21, with his best figures being 7/66 against Sussex on his debut.
