In the final clash of the World Test Championship (WTC 2023), Australia broke the back of the Indian lineup thanks in large part to Scott Boland. He took 5 wickets, including Shubman Gill’s, and Virat Kohli’s which attracted the most media attention.
Brilliantly, Boland struck Gill’s middle and leg with his delivery to Shubman; it swung in from outside the off stump. Gill experienced equal parts shock and wonder at it.
Who is Scott Boland?
Josh Hazlewood, who was injured, was replaced by Boland in the starting lineup for the WTC championship game. Boland has played Test cricket before, though. Before the Test Championship Final, he had participated in 13 Tests and taken 28 wickets at an astounding average of 13.42.
Boland gained notoriety when he played in his first Test match and finished with a spell of 6 for 7, which is the seventh-best numbers for an Australian debutant. He had a strike rate of 4, which is also the second-best bowling strike rate in a Test inning, and he took wickets at that rate.
And let’s not forget that Boland took 18 wickets in the previous Ashes. He also holds the record for the best average among bowlers who have bowled 1000 deliveries since the 20th century (13 points 42).
Boland is a member of an Australian indigenous group. After Jason Gillespie, he is the only other male indigenous player to have represented Australia. Additionally, he ranks fourth overall behind Faith Thomas and Ashleigh Gardner. In Victoria’s Colac region, Boland is a member of the Gulidjan tribe.
That Boland also played in the Indian Premier League is a little-known fact about him. The lanky pacer competed for Rising Pune Supergiant alongside Ajinkya Rahane, his WTC final rival, and MS Dhoni.
In the IPL, Boland has bowled a total of 7 overs, taking 2 wickets at an average of 27. Boland has also participated in 14 ODIs for Australia, taking 16 wickets. In three T20Is, he also played and recorded wickets.
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