Here's why Scott Boland has been a boon for Australia
Australia defeated India at The Oval to lift the ICC World Test Championship mace on Sunday. The Aussies successfully defended 443, bowling India out for 234. Scott Boland, one of the vital cogs in Australia's pace attack, wreaked havoc with three wickets in the final innings. He perturbed the Indian batters in the first innings too. Here are Boldand's notable numbers in Test cricket.
Why does this story matter?
Boland is someone who relies on line and length and can bowl at one channel throughout the day. That is what brought the best out of him throughout the WTC final. Although Boalnd is new to Test cricket, the right-arm seamer shone with his stunning balls. He snapped up five wickets, but more than that, his in-coming deliveries made headlines.
Hazlewood's injury gave Boland opportunities
Boland made his debut during the 2021/22 Ashes in the Boxing Day Test. He became the second Indigenous man to play Tests for Australia. Boland had appeared in 79 First-Class matches before making his Test debut, the longest period for any Australian specialist bowler. The tall seamer has been showcasing his exploits while representing Australia, with Josh Hazlewood sitting out due to injury spells.
A ferocious six-fer on Test debut
Boland gave a glimpse of his art on his Test debut. He decimated the English batting line-up with a ferocious six-wicket haul at MCG. England succumbed to Australian fast bowlers in the second innings, perishing on 68. Boland completed his five-wicket haul in mere 19 balls, the joint-fastest five-for in Test history. Overall, he registered mind-boggling figures of 6/7 in mere 24 deliveries.
Boland scripted history with a phenomenal spell
Boland registered the best innings figures (6/7) by an Australian man on Test debut in Australia since January 1895 when Albert Trott took 8/43 against England at the Adelaide Oval. The former had a strike rate of 14.5 at MCG.
Best bowling average since 20th century
In just eight Test matches, Boland has snapped up 33 wickets. His tally includes a solitary fifer. His bowling average of 14.57 is the best in Test cricket since the 20th century among bowlers with at least 30 wickets. Overall, he is only behind GA Lohmann (10.75 between 1886 and 1896) and JJ Ferris (12.70 between 1887 and 1892).
Other notable records of Boland
Out of 33, Boland has taken 22 wickets in the second innings. He averages a mere 8.18 in this regard. In the second innings of the WTC final, Boland dismissed Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja on consecutive deliveries. It was the sixth time that Boland took multiple wickets in an over, the joint-most by any bowler since his debut, with Jack Leach and Jadeja.
Boland shone in 2021-23 WTC cycle
Boland's average of 14.57 was the best for any bowler (minimum 25 wickets) in the 2021-23 WTC cycle. Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi trails Boland with 18.19. Besides, Boland's strike rate of 37.8 was the second-best in this duration.
