‘Never say never’: Australia’s annihilation of West Indies prompts unthinkable Ashes selection call

The incredible performances of Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland in Australia’s astonishing rout of the West Indies has opened the door for selectors to do the unthinkable in the Ashes.

Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland’s astonishing rout of the West Indies has nudged open the door for Australia’s four-man pace experiment to be repeated.

Admitting that he had felt extra pressure replacing Nathan Lyon after the veteran off-spinner was dropped from the Aussie Test side for the first time since 2013, Boland said he was hopeful he had “repaid” the faith of selectors.

The Victorian evidently did all that and more, taking 6-36 for the match including a hat-trick as the Windies capitulated violently to be all out for 27, the second-lowest completed innings score in Test cricket’s 148-year history as Australia secured a 3-0 whitewash with a 176-run win in the third and final; Test at Sabina Park.

By claiming the wickets of Justin Greaves, Shamar Joseph and Jomel Warrican with consecutive balls in the 14th over of the Windies’ abysmal chase, Boland became the 12th Australian man to claim a Test hat-trick.

Scott Boland’s stunning performances could prompt a difficult selection call for Australia. Picture: AP

One of the others, Merv Hughes, was in the crowd at Kingston as part of a tour group, while Boland’s long-time state teammate Peter Siddle - who had been the most recent Aussie to achieve the feat - had messaged Boland within an hour of Warrican’s off-bail being dislodged to welcome his fellow quick to the club.

And yet Boland still played second fiddle to Starc, who took five wickets from his first 15 balls - the earliest five-fer in Test history in terms of balls bowled - en route to figures of 6-9, the fourth of which was his 400th Test wicket coming in his 100th Test.

Australian selector Tony Dodemaide had insisted before the match that the call to leave out Lyon, who has 562 Test wickets, was a “one-off” made because of the combination of the pink Dukes ball and the fact that a greater percentage of play would come under lights than in day-night Tests in Adelaide.

But while the ball undoubtedly provided a challenge, the pitch was arguably less venomous than the first two employed during the series, and 19 of the 20 West Indian wickets to fall during the match did so during day sessions.

It was Australian captain Cummins who had on match eve first flagged the prospect that Lyon could be omitted for this match, and while he maintained after this rout that another dose of the four quicks would be a longshot, it was not quite as long as it might have seemed a few days ago when the idea was first seriously floated publicly.

“I think any time you enter the conversation, you remind yourself how good Nath is,” Cummins said.

Nathan Lyon was a surprise omission from Australia’s third Test team. Picture: AP

“All it takes is kind of one partnership, and you’re wishing you’ve got Nath as a change of pace in the game and crack it open. I’d say never, say never, but pretty unlikely that we ever go with the four.”

Boland had noted at the end of day two that the impending return of Cameron Green to bowling also reduced the chance that the four-quick experiment would be tried again.

The Victorian conceded that the gravity of the selection panel’s call to include him at the expense of Test cricket’s seventh-highest all-time wickettaker had not been lost on him.

“I didn’t think about it when I got on the field, but I did think of it maybe a couple of days out,” Boland said following his hat-trick.

“It’s a pretty brave call to leave out a spinner and go four quicks, especially when your spinner’s, Nathan Lyon. I think some other teams might do it, but I don’t think they’ve got the spin quality of him. So I think it’s a pretty brave call from the selectors, and hopefully I repaid it.”

Mitchell Starc took the fastest-ever five-wicket haul during a day of carnage. Picture: AFP

Boland also joked that he and Starc were contemplating cutting the match ball in half given it had been a landmark day for both, but said that the left-armer could keep the not-even 15-overs-old Dukes.

Starc said that his close friend Lyon - though disappointed - had remained upbeat.

“He’s certainly been around long enough to understand it. It wasn’t a skill thing. It was based on conditions. He’s (got) over 500 wickets. He’s not going to be left out on his skill. He knows that. We know that. Scotty’s taken a hat trick and several more wickets. So as disappointing as it was and strange to not have him out there, he was fantastic off the field, around the ground and around the change room.”

Originally published as ‘Never say never’: Australia’s annihilation of West Indies prompts unthinkable Ashes selection call