Scott Boland’s 20-wicket haul and Joe Root’s masterclass prove consistency beats “bashing” in the Ashes.
Scott Boland 20-wicket
Can a bowler who looks “ordinary” on a radar gun be the most terrifying force in world cricket?
England arrived in Australia convinced that Scott Boland was a relic—a 135kph “gun-barrel” medium-pacer who belonged in the sleepy enclosures of county cricket rather than the furnace of the Ashes.
They treated him like the Ringo Starr of the Australian bowling Beatles: the steady, replaceable rhythm section that could be “boshed” or “reverse-ramped” at will.
By the end of the Sydney Test, that hubris hadn’t just been punctured; it had been incinerated.
The Illusion of the First Day
The series began exactly as the Bazball disciples had prophesied. In Perth, England took Boland for 62 runs in just ten overs.
He looked every bit the “fodder” they expected, searching for the stumps and gift-wrapping half-volleys. It was a deceptive honeymoon period that lured England into a fatal sense of security.
The Lunch That Won the Ashes
The recalibration was swift and, for England, devastating. On the second day in Perth, with England holding a 105-run lead and nine wickets in hand, Boland produced a spell that arguably decided the entire series. In just 11 deliveries, he took 3 for 3.
He didn’t do it with mystery balls or 150kph thunderbolts. He did it with what James Anderson later called “a joke” of a level of consistency.
He simply did not miss. Duckett, Pope, and Brook were all lured into driving “straight” balls that weren’t actually straight, resulting in a procession of nicks to the slip cordon.
The SCG Masterclass: A Final Rebuke
If there were any lingering doubters, Boland’s 24-ball interrogation of Joe Root in Sydney provided the final word.
Root, the world’s second-highest run-scorer coming off a majestic 160, was reduced to a state of total paralysis.
- The Stats: 24 balls. 0 runs.
- The Geometry: Root was beaten twice on the outside edge and three times on the inside.
- The Coup de Grâce: A ball that looked identical to the previous 23 darted back off the seam, thundering into the knee roll.
Root’s dismissal was the ultimate referendum on Bazball’s “non-believers.” You cannot skip down the track to a man who refuses to give you a single inch of breathing room.
The Technical Trap: Carey Up, Batters Down
A significant factor in Boland’s dominance was the “ingenious plan” to have Alex Carey keep up to the stumps. This wasn’t just about catching edges; it was about psychological incarceration.
With Carey hovering inches behind the bails, the English batters felt “trapped” on the crease, unable to use their feet to disrupt Boland’s length.
Even when Carey moved back, the mental damage was done. The batters played for a straight ball and found the edge; they played for the edge and lost their middle stump.
The Ironman of the Series
While Mitchell Starc and Travis Head will hog the highlight reels, the numbers tell a story of incredible physical resilience.
At 36 years old, Boland played all five Tests for the first time. He bowled the most overs of any bowler in the series—6.4 more than even the “Ironman” Starc.
Key Takeaways:
- Consistency is a Weapon: Boland proved that “not missing” is more lethal than “extreme pace” when combined with subtle seam movement.
- The Hubris Penalty: England’s refusal to “rate” Boland led to loose shot selection that cost them key wickets in every Test.
- Endurance Matters: Boland’s 20 wickets at 24.95 are the reward for a relentless work ethic that outpaced his younger counterparts.
The Beatles were never just about Lennon and McCartney’s flair; they relied on Ringo’s unwavering, relentless beat.
Scott Boland provided that rhythm for Australia, and in doing so, he beat Bazball at its own game.