Most unplayable bowler in a generation: Inside Scott Boland’s stunning SCG performance

Scott Boland’s 10-wicket haul in the Sydney Test was a special performance. In fact more than special, with statistics revealing his dominance of India outshone any bowler of the past two decades.

Scott Boland will forever be remembered for his astonishing debut feats but this weekend in Sydney was his finest hour.

The Victorian ran through England in his four second innings overs at the MCG across days two and three of the 2021 Boxing Day Test, yet in many respects he was merely issuing the last rites to an already beaten-up touring side that was already 2-0 down in the series and trailing by 82 runs on the first innings.

It wasn’t a dead rubber, but nor was England really alive.

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Scott Boland leaves the field after taking 10-76 for the Test. Picture: AFP

This was different. Boland’s match haul of 10-76, capped off with the wickets of Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah on Sunday morning at the SCG, came when Australia dearly needed him.

Australia hadn’t been able to get its hands on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for a decade.

Mitchell Starc was banged up, Pat Cummins also playing his fifth Test of the summer, and Nathan Lyon barely a factor in conditions not conducive to spin.

This was not a particularly in-form Indian lineup, but there were still plenty of accomplished batters all the way down to No. 8.

And though Boland hadn’t played all five Tests, he too was backing up off a less than four-day break from day five at the MCG.

He’s 35 and coming off a year in which he dealt with foot and knee issues. Indeed it has become a common sight to spot Boland walking around Junction Oval with bandaging on his knee.

But he showed no signs of age or wear across these three days in Sydney.

Almost impossible to defend for a long period of time in these sort of conditions, Boland tormented India, removing Virat Kohli for the fourth and fifth time in Test cricket, as well as twice nabbing the scalp of dangerman Yashasvi Jaiswal.

This was a special performance. In fact more than special. According to CricViz, the 44.1 per cent false shot rate against Boland in this Test is the highest for any bowler to have sent down 20 or more overs in a Test since such data started being recorded in 2006.

In layman’s terms: Boland in Sydney was the most unplayable any Test bowler has been in a generation.

Of those who have bowled 2000 balls in men’s Test cricket, Boland’s bowling average of 17.66 is the lowest in more than a century.

How much more will he play? Given his age and Australia’s always imposing fast bowling stocks there are still few guarantees of much more from here. But whatever comes next, this has been a magical ride.

Originally published as Most unplayable bowler in a generation: Inside Scott Boland’s stunning SCG performance