Isa Guha explains why Scott Boland’s Ashes heroics will change cricket forever

Isa Guha explains why she was emotional watching highlights of Scott Boland’s Ashes heroics, which have the potential to change cricket forever.

Scott Boland gets the chance to follow up his debut magic at the SCG. Picture: Getty Images

It’s quite astonishing that Scott Boland was only the second Indigenous male to play Test cricket for Australia.

His debut at the MCG was a huge breakthrough for the game, and now Boland gets a second opportunity this week at the SCG.

While it was a fairytale start to Boland’s career, his inclusion in the international team presents a more far-reaching opportunity, and it is up to Cricket Australia to get their systems and pathways right to encourage, empower, and embrace the Indigenous kids who will have no doubt been inspired by Scott Boland’s achievements as well as Ash Gardner and the many Indigenous Australians playing cricket domestically.

It is something I know CA are working hard to achieve as a part of ensuring that cricket can fix the historical racial imbalance in the sport.

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Scott Boland celebrates one of his six second innings wickets against England. Picture: Getty Images

I was emotional watching a montage put together by Fox Cricket on that magical morning where Scott took 6-7 at the MCG, because for me it was a much bigger moment than a 32-year-old getting his opportunity at his home ground, the MCG.

When I first played for England, I was the first woman of Asian heritage to play any sport for my country.

The media made a big deal of it, but I didn’t contemplate its significance at the time.

At 17, I just wanted to play for England and I was almost embarrassed by the publicity and attention.

Only since retirement have I truly recognised and appreciated what it can mean for people to relate to the people they see on a playing field, or on television.

To know that it is possible for someone to push through a system that might not appear to be designed for them.

Witnessing Scott at the MCG, I was thinking about all the young Indigenous kids watching him perform, embraced by his non-Indigenous teammates, embraced by the crowd, and I was swept up in imagining how those youngsters might have felt in that moment.

To say, “If he can do it, so can I,” and for this to spark an interest in our beloved game.

As the oldest living civilisation, there’s an incredible history and culture amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, which I am utterly fascinated by.

Scott Boland after being presented with his Baggy Green. Picture: Getty Images

With the atmosphere at the MCG, it felt like Johnny Mullagh was there in spirit, as Scott Boland accepted the man-of-the-match award named in his honour, as a pioneer of Aboriginal cricket.

The script was written, and it felt like Indigenous past and present were smiling down, watching over Scott Boland in that moment. As only the second player to wear the baggy green as an Indigenous man, it is a huge achievement but for it to be such an exclusive club after 144 years of Test cricket is a statistic that warrants grave reflections.

The Yorkshire cricket racism scandal that has played out over recent months in the UK has brought a lot of things to the surface regarding inclusivity and prejudice within our sport.

Hearing stories of those who have faced discrimination, and this being the reason why they have left the game, has been a difficult time for many as we grapple with the part we have all played, and how we might be able to affect change.

Everyone has been on their own journey but, ultimately, while it has rocked cricket and the people in it, the pain was necessary to lead to a more inclusive sport.

To have a wake-up call and get to a point of long-lasting change, where minorities have a voice and those in positions of power and influence can help change things for the better.

The uncomfortable truth is that people left the game because cricket wasn’t welcoming to them.

That is hard to accept, and it took a long while to understand that I was fortunate to have been an exception.

A young Isa Guha celebrates after taking a wicket for England against Australia.

I never faced racism in the way many others did, and the trajectory of my career made me question why this was the case.

Essentially, as a youngster, you just want to fit in and maybe because I checked my “otherness” at the door I was able to move forwards without drawing attention to myself.

I’m not saying that’s right and I strongly believe that people should be accepted for who they are – something I believe is now happening more and more.

It’s been a very introspective time and everyone involved in cricket in the UK has hopefully been forced to develop an understanding of why someone else might be affected by racism.

It is something I believe is globally relevant too, and no doubt Cricket Australia will be taking note because, sadly, the stories are there.

While hearing them is uncomfortable, it is necessary in order to be able to move forwards.

The word “education” is banded around a lot but I only think that it has value when there is a willingness to understand. While this is all part of a journey, and there is much work to do, we are already seeing the seeds of that change.

The Australian cricket team – both men’s and women’s teams – appear to be embracing the push to recognise how the game has failed Indigenous Australians, and I hope Scott Boland’s summer can be a real turning point for the game.

THE SCG ‘BULLDOZER’: WHY BOLAND HAD TO GET THE NOD

Pat Cummins has spoken of his relief at helping haul “bulldozer” Scott Boland into the Sydney Test and out of the biggest and loneliest club in Australian cricket.

Boland’s magical 6-7 at the MCG will live in the history books and the memories of those who witnessed it for decades to come, but the 32-year-old has now gone one step further by escaping the purgatory that is to be cast as a one-Test wonder.

And there’s so many that didn’t.

On Boxing Day, Boland became the 463rd man to play Test cricket for Australia — but of that number, 72 have only played one Test.

That’s one in every six or seven to be handed a baggy green, have only experienced the privilege of pulling the cap on once.

Scott Boland’s ability to bowl stump to stump on flat pitches for hours was a key factor in him being chosen for his second Test.

At 32 years of age and with Josh Hazlewood to return from injury at some point in such a rich era for outstanding fast bowlers, it’s possible that had Boland not been picked in Sydney he may never have gotten another opportunity.

Cummins was a one-Test wonder for five years after his debut and is glad flat track “bulldozer” Boland has the chance to extend his fairytale.

“It’s just huge. I spent about five years sitting on one Test and I hated it when people talked about it because I felt I hadn’t proven anything — I’d only done one Test match,” Cummins said.

“It’s just great. He’s bowling as well as he ever has. It’s great that he can just keep going from last week and have another crack here.

“I doubt it’s going to be 6-7, but I did say to him, ‘we’ll take last week, nothing more than that — so don’t try any harder’.”

Boland gets the chance to follow up his debut magic at the SCG. Picture: Getty Images

While there’s no escaping from the fact injury to Hazlewood (side strain) and Jhye Richardson (shin) has opened the door for Boland to become one of Test cricket’s biggest bolters — selectors had earmarked him months’ in advance for these two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney.

His draught horse physique and ability to bowl stump to stump on flat pitches for hours on end provides tremendous balance to the Australian attack that can allow the likes of Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green to take turns firing cannons from the other end in a desperate search for wickets on what has recently been a batsman’s surface.

“There’s not a lot of swing here and even not a lot of bounce. So you need that bulldozer bowler who will just give you 50 overs in a Test,” Cummins said.

Hazlewood during an Australian nets session at the SCG. Picture: Getty Images

Jhye Richardson (right) and Josh Hazlewood in the nets. Picture: Getty Images

“You need a really good economical, challenging fast bowler that’s going to challenge the knee roll of the batters and I just think that suits him to a T.

“He’s done that for Victoria for a number of years. He’s done that at the MCG when it’s been flat — he’s done that pretty well.

“He’s super experienced. He’s played 80 odd games. You know what you’re going to get. So you just feel like you can walk in and know he’s going to do a great job straight away.

“Traditionally here over the last 10 years it’s been pretty hard work for the bowlers. I don’t see a lot that’s going to be different this week.

“There’s a bit of grass around … maybe day one or two it might nip around and then probably just holds together.”

Cummins said Hazlewood is still hopeful for a return for the final Test in Hobart next week, while Richardson’s shin problem is also not a long-term issue.