Scott Boland and the perks of being intricately simple

Scott Boland made his Test debut less than a year ago against England at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Boxing Day, and immediately burst into the limelight, picking up an extraordinary six-wicket haul in just his second innings.

His legend has only grown since, and he was a pivotal part of Australia’s World Test Championship (WTC) triumph, ultimately triggering India's collapse on Day 5 – a collapse that Boland, through sheer perseverance, simplicity, and skill, brought about.

So, the numbers, after his scintillating start to Test cricket read as follows - eight Tests played, 33 wickets bagged at an economy rate of 2.31, a strike rate of 37.8. and an average of 14.57. Those stats alone are ridiculous, and considering how long he had to wait for his Test bow, make for a compelling narrative in itself.

But what makes Boland special from several other bowlers is how he sticks to his strengths, does not move away from them at all, yet, finds a way to surprise the batters.

Prior to the WTC final, India had never faced him and might have wondered what the hype around him was all about. Now, they, like millions of cricket watchers, know.

Scott Boland picked up five wickets in the WTC final

Boland’s brilliance can be encapsulated by how he outwitted Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli during the WTC final.

In the first innings, India had gotten off to a blazing start and had put Australia under immediate pressure. Both Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins looked a tad rusty too. Had Australia not been careful of India’s brisk scoring rate, they could have ceded the initiative, despite having 469 on the board.

Boland did not let that happen.

The first over the pacer bowled was a maiden. All of those deliveries landed just where he wanted them to. The areas he bowled could have been covered by the proverbial handkerchief. Such was his accuracy. Such was his clarity on what needed to be done.

The next over also began with three dots. India, at this stage, were not fretting overly about the dot balls, for boundaries had flown before it. Gill, too, defended the first three balls of Boland’s second over.

Almost all of them, though, seemed to hit him higher up on the bat. Extra bounce, even on day one, had been a feature, especially with the new ball. So, if Gill were to get the option of leaving a delivery outside off, he would have been tempted to take it.

That is exactly what Boland did. The only difference, though, was that the Australian seamer knew how far the ball would jag back in. Gill did not. And he lost his off stump, even before he could fathom what had just unfolded.

It looked like a very simplistic dismissal. Boland kept badgering away on a length in the fourth stump channel, and the delivery that was bowled a little wider was the one that nipped back the most.

But what should not fly under the radar is how the pacer set Gill up. He lulled him into a false sense of security and before the youngster knew it, he was walking back to the pavilion.

On day five, the Australian seamer produced something similar (not in terms of the mode of dismissal but the outcome) to outwit Kohli.

Early on, India had gotten plenty of singles down to deep backward point. At that point, Australia’s tactics left many slightly bewildered, for they were giving away easy runs without really applying pressure. As it turned out, though, it was a ploy designed to make India restless for boundaries.

That is exactly what Kohli fell for. Batting on 49, he was lured into a cover drive off a delivery that was well outside off stump. He might have had a milestone in mind, or it could have just been a lapse of concentration. But Boland triggered it, and for that, he must be credited.

Once the dust had settled on that dismissal, replays indicated that the pacer had made subtle adjustments to his wrist. The ball that outfoxed Kohli was supposed to move away. Earlier in the over, one delivery came back in, and another, bowled with a slightly cross-seam, bounced extra.

In the space of three balls, Boland, apart from showing off his repertoire, had also gotten Kohli guessing. And this is not any batter being talked about. This is the great Virat Kohli, who has enjoyed success previously on British shores and had, up until that point, batted superbly.

These two dismissals only illustrate how Boland has the ability to break open the game, even when it seems unlikely. Of course, this is not undermining the other wickets he picked – for example, the ball that dismissed Ravindra Jadeja was an absolute peach too.

But it is just that these two wickets perfectly depict what Boland is all about – exponential skill, exemplary control and blessed with the exceptional knack of knowing when to bowl what delivery.

There have also been six occasions in Test cricket already where he has picked up two or more wickets in an over, indicating that he is the sternest examination any batter can face. Whether he is set or not, does not really matter – as Gill and Kohli found out.

Thus, it was not a surprise that Cummins, post Australia’s win, said that Boland was his favorite player. Plenty in Australia will agree and will say they feel the same. That is just how quickly he has captured the imagination, and how swiftly he has become the bowler for Australia while giving him cult status among the masses.

From the outside, it all feels very metronomic. He keeps hitting a length, he keeps probing and the batters ultimately fall. Watch closely, and it is anything but that. He has an assortment of minor changes that he unfurls at just the right moment, and also possesses that knack for getting batters out.

And it all comes down to him mastering this art of being intricately simple. Not many can do that. But then again, not many are Scott Boland.