Scott Boland

There are some men who just give off that fast bowler vibe - tall, well-built, heavily-bruised landing foot. If you saw Scott Boland in his cricket attire, you'd know he's a fast bowler. A droopy-shouldered Scott raced through the ranks of grade-cricket and was touted by many coaches in the circuit to be the next big thing in the Australian fast-bowling line-up.

He was handed a contract by Victoria for Shield cricket at the age of just 22 and made his Victoria debut in 2011-12. In the subsequent season, however, he got an extended run for the side, and made full use of his opportunities, collecting 19 scalps in 9 games at an average of 37.73 in the season. He went on to top the wicket charts in the Ryobi Cup in 2013/14, with 9 wickets. The next Shield season saw Boland tear through reputed batting line-ups in shield cricket and claim another 25 wickets in the 2014-15 Shield season.

He finally managed to make the selectors sit up and take notice as he ripped through the Western Australian line-up to claim his best performance in an innings(7/31), and was consequently called up for the for the home Test at the Bellerive Oval against the West Indies. He was named in the ODI and T20 international squads in the same summer against India and had a modest series. He isn't a regular in the playing XI in limited-overs international, however, he continues to knock on the selectors' doors, with his stellar domestic performances. His purple patch in domestic cricket earned him the Bill Lawry medal for the best performance of the Sheffield Shield in 2016. Boland's consistent performances at the domestic level saw him play a handful of limited-overs games post 2016. He'd have to wait until December 2021 to make his Test debut. He was added as cover to Australia's Ashes squad and instantly impressed on his debut as he picked up 6/7 in England's second innings. While he performed decently thereafter, it wasn't quite enough to earn him a Test spot ahead of the regular quicks in Hazlewood, Starc and Cummins. Often playing in the absence of one of those mentioned, Boland remained a part of the Test setup.

Boland has also played for Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League. He had a prolific run in BBL 06, ending up as the franchise's highest wicket-taker with 14 wickets at a strike rate of a wicket every 15 balls. He continued to represent the Stars in the coming years.

With the essential build and skills to make it as a fast bowler, Boland has been unlucky to have missed out on an extended run in the national side. However, with the packed Test schedule of the Australian team, the backing of an unblemished domestic record, and the inherent nature of fast bowling (fast bowlers getting rested), Boland remains in the fray for Australia.

Post the success of the 2021 Ashes, Boland was picked for the next home summer as well where Australia dismantled West Indies 2-0, with the big pacer picking up plenty of wickets. He played the home Tests against South Africa as well later, as Australia claimed another series win with the Test in Sydney ending as a draw due to rain interruptions.

Boland’s next assignment was the 2023 World Test Championship final, where he got the wickets of Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja in the first innings to help Australia claim the Test match. Boland got another chance in the 2023 Ashes, but has since been used sparingly by Australia due to Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood always being available.

By Rishi Roy