Ashes 2021: Scott Boland to follow Aboriginal and fast bowler Jason Gillespie

First ‘Dizzy’, now ‘Barrel’ - Scott Boland will charge in 15 years after fellow Aboriginal and fast bowler Jason Gillespie, something captain Pat Cummins has excitingly praised.

Jhye Richardson will miss the Boxing Day Test, as Australia takes a cautious approach with his fitness. Picture: Getty

Scott Boland’s transformation from a 118kg batting allrounder at Frankston-Peninsula to Australia’s second Indigenous male Test cricketer in 144 years will be completed when he receives the 463rd baggy green on Boxing Day.

The MCG specialist, who hails from the Gulidjan tribe near Colac in western Victoria, will charge in for Australia 15 years after fellow Aboriginal and fast bowler Jason Gillespie last played Test cricket.

“It’s huge – ‘Dizzy’ (Gillespie) was the first,” captain Pat Cummins said.

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“Australia’s got a rich history of 50,000-60,000 years and it’s great that that’s starting to get reflected in our team.”

Australia only requires a draw in Melbourne to retain the Ashes urn and Boland, who wasn’t even in the Australian squad last Monday, suddenly has the chance to help achieve this summer’s main mission.

It seemed unlikely when the boy nicknamed “Barrel” because of his shape felt embarrassed to remove his shirt in a Victorian dressing room as a 21-year-old.

Scott Boland has been incredible at the MCG for Victoria. Picture: Getty Images

But Boland shed more than 20kg in the next five years and will proudly pull on the No.19 shirt worn by close mate James Pattinson when he makes history in the horses-for-courses selection shock.

“The only advice I had for him was I think he’s wearing my No.19, so I said if you play to the No.19’s average on Boxing Day you should get player of the match,” Pattinson told News Corp on Christmas Day.

“I think it was 69 with the bat and about 16 with the ball … he should have a pretty good game.

“He rang me the other day and told me he was a slight chance of playing with Jhye (Richardson) being a bit sore and the quick turnaround in Test matches.

“He must’ve got confirmation this morning or last night. I’m pretty excited for him having experienced a few Boxing Day Test matches and knowing what they’re like.

“It’s an unreal feeling. He’ll be nervous, but once he gets out there hopefully he soaks it all in – no better place to debut than the MCG and an Ashes Test match.”

Pattinson played in Boland’s debut for Victoria against Western Australia at the MCG back in 2011.

Scott Boland will follow in Jason Gillespie’s footsteps. Picture: Cricket Australia

“When he first came he was a bit bigger, but I’ve seen how hard he dedicates himself to his fitness,” Pattinson said.

“He loves the gym, he gets around with his short shorts and reckons he’s got the best legs in the team.

“He always had a really good knack of bowling to the left-handers, but the one thing he wanted to improve on was bowling to the right-handers.

“Over the years he’s really done that. He’s a smart bowler, he charges in, he doesn’t give the batsmen an inch and he’s picked up a few yards as well.

“He’s got the ability to bowl around the wicket and bowl outswingers to the left-handers and nip them away.

“The same with the right-handers, he can nip them both ways. He’s going to be a handful.”

Boland’s 272 first-class wickets have included 42 in his past six games at the ’G at an average of 14.4.

Australia drop bombshell Boxing Day selection

Scott Boland is set to make Australian cricketing history on Boxing Day as only the second male Indigenous Test player in 144 years.

In one of the biggest Test selection shocks in some time, the 32-year-old Victorian was not even in the Ashes squad until Monday, but is now expected for an extraordinary debut as an MCG track specialist.

As first reported by News Corp on Wednesday, Australia is taking a cautious approach with quicks Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser, both greenhorns at Test level, and are concerned about backing them up so soon after a tough five-day contest in Adelaide. Richardson is also

suffering a minor leg injury while Michael Neser has pulled up a bit sore.

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Scott Boland is set to earn his first baggy green, in the Boxing Day Test. Picture: Getty

Boland will be called upon to bowl a huge amount of overs, with captain Pat Cummins declaring the debutant’s Indigenous heritage was “hugely” significant for the sport.

Boland, 32, will follow Jason Gillespie as just Australia’s second men’s Test player.

“Dizzy was the first, Australia’s got a rich history of 50,000-60,000 years and it’s great that that’s starting to get reflected in our team,” Cummins said.

Boland will become Australia’s latest three-format player and join Alex Carey and Neser as debutants this series.

The workhorse powered through 47.3 overs on the MCG in a recent Sheffield Shield display and claimed eight wickets, giving selectors confidence he was the man for Melbourne.

“The first thing you’ve got to wrap your head around playing at the MCG is you’re going to have to bowl a lot of overs and he does that really well,” Cummins said.

Boland can expect some long stints at the crease.

“The Shield game they won out here against NSW, he bowled 50 overs for the game. His pace stays up, he’s always at you, he bowls really well to left handers.

“He’s not a huge swing bowler, but there’s not a huge amount of swing here at the MCG.

“He just asks a lot of questions around that fourth stump, off stump, knee roll, little bit of nibble each way, heavy ball.

“He’s just really well suited here and if we need him to bowl big overs he can do that.”

Boland, a proud Gulidjan man from Colac in Victoria, is making his debut at an age when few fast bowlers have ever broken into the highest level of the game.

Jason Gillespie told News Corp earlier this week that Boland debuting would be a proud and significant day for Aboriginal people in this country.

Boland will become just Australia’s second Indigenous Test cricketer. Picture: Getty

“I love what Scott brings to the table,” 259 Test-wicket great Gillespie said.

“He’s a fantastic bowler, he performs in all conditions and he gives his all. A captain’s dream.

“If that was to be the case (a debut) it would be a proud day for Aboriginal Australia.”

Boland averages 26 at first-class level from 79 games, and has an even better record at the MCG.

The right-armer has particularly excelled at the MCG since curator Matt Page created a new-look deck with more grass on the surface.

Boland was the fifth Australian Indigenous player when he was blooded in the ODI team back in 2016, but it’s been a regrettable part of the game’s history that Gillespie has remained so long the only Indigenous male Test star.

Selectors are taking a cautious approach with Jhye Richardson.

The Victorian told News Corp in an interview four years ago that he only learned of his Indigenous heritage as an adult, and he has remained eager for more knowledge about his ancestry.

“We found it out because my grandad was adopted, so there was a gap in the family tree,” Boland told News Corp back in 2017.

“My mum’s brother wanted to find out more about our family history and stuff so he started researching.

“The first we heard about it we didn’t understand too much.

“But the more we’ve talked about it together – me, my brother and my mum – and the more we got involved in the Indigenous program we can tell it means so much to a lot of people.”