Scott Boland, Australia’s English-style bowler, fires Ashes warning after seamless transition
Scott Boland has had no issues adapting to Test cricket in England, claiming his first wicket outside Australia after just 10 balls and before conceding a single run.
The wicket itself, on the second day of the World Test Championship at The Oval, was a serious case of misjudgement, it cannot even be termed a ‘bad shot’ as no shot was offered by Shubman Gill.
The Indian opener left the ball, which careered into his middle stump, and Boland was off the mark.
Few in England would have heard of the seam bowler before he made his impressive debut in the last Ashes series at the MCG, taking six wickets for seven runs in the second innings as the tourists were blown away and the urn regained by Australia.
Boland finished a dismal Ashes from England’s perspective with 18 wickets in three matches and looks a match made in heaven alongside the red Dukes ball.
Having never played with a Dukes – Australia use the slightly smaller Kookaburra for their Test matches – Boland eased into Test cricket in England and never looked out of place.
The talk throughout his debut Ashes had been about what an English-style bowler he is, and combined with a Dukes ball, he looks a serious threat with movement and pace.
"My first experience with a red ball here and felt it came out okay personally,” Boland told Test Match Special. “Hopefully we can get into it tomorrow and knock them over.
"It is like two mini-series for us - one against India and five against England after this. We have all hit the ground running. The preparation has been fantastic.
"Nothing changes in my game-plan. I am trying to land the ball in a small box and not go away too far from that."
It was a day of Australian dominance as India finished at 151-5, 317 runs behind Australia’s mammoth first innings total of 469.
There were some warning signs already there from an England perspective ahead of next week’s Ashes opener when Steve Smith struck 121, and Travis Head a quick-fire 163. But the one thing England will not be out doing is leaving deliveries they should have played.
Pat Cummins, one of the greatest threats in world cricket with the new ball, also picked up a wicket for 36 runs from nine overs.
Despite the efforts of the Indian-supporting majority crowd waving flags and cheering, the World Test Championship final itself feels much like an Ashes warm-up, at least from an Australian perspective.
Every boundary was cheered, there was stunned silence when Mitchell Starc claimed the crucial wicket of Virat Kohli, but there was also a lengthy Mexican wave, which usually suggests a crowd looking for some other form of entertainment than the contest they have paid to watch.
