Making history in 24 deliveries

From the moment paceman Mitchell Starc bowled England opener Rory Burns with the first ball of the Ashes series at the Gabba three weeks ago, many Australian cricket fans quietly believed the ultimate result of the series was assured. Judging by their hangdog demeanour on the field, where they dropped too many key catches and failed to get into their batting groove, so did many of the visitors, despite the undoubted talent of individual team members. It speaks volumes that former England skipper Michael Vaughan believes Australia already has the upper hand ahead of the next Ashes series, to be held in England in 2023.

For Australia, clinching the current series three-nil before lunch at the MCG on day three of the Boxing Day Test was a triumph – especially for Pat Cummins in his first series as captain (despite missing the second Test while isolating after a Covid scare). The men in the baggy green caps gave fans at the grounds and watching at home plenty of thrills. It was not their fault that it was not the competitive, hard-fought contest many Australians had hoped for. Tuesday’s unexpected swift finish, however, added much to the richness of Ashes history.

The day belonged to hometown hero Scott Boland, 32, who was making his debut after recently being added to the Australian squad. He found out he was playing on Christmas Eve, a call-up that proved to be serendipitous.

“We were really confident Scotty would do a great job,” Cummins said after the match. “Maybe not 6 for 7!” And from four overs, or 24 deliveries, as England, with four ducks on its scorecard, stumbled to a woeful second innings total of 68, capitulating by an innings and 14 runs. Boland’s victims included captain Joe Root, England’s last hope of making any real stand against the home side.

Boland was named man of the match. Appropriately, he also was awarded the Johnny Mullagh medal for being the player of the Boxing Day Test. Mullagh was a pioneer of Australian sport, leading an all-Indigenous team on a tour of England in 1868. It was the first tour by any Australian cricket team to Britain, predating the first Test series in 1882. Boland discovered his Indigenous heritage 10 years ago because his grandfather was adopted. He was part of a tour of Indigenous players to England in 2018 to honour the feats of Mullagh and the 1868 team.

With the series won, the only remaining goal for Australia in January is a 5-nil sweep.