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Scott Boland Re-Born: How Josh Hazlewood's Replacement Took Test Cricket By Storm?

Akshita Patel∙ Updated: Jan 3 2025, 12:29 PM

Scott Boland proves his mettle in Border-Gavaskar Trophy [Source: AP Photos]Scott Boland proves his mettle in Border-Gavaskar Trophy [Source: AP Photos]

Scott Boland, the right-arm medium-fast bowler from Australia, is making waves with his exceptional bowling, potentially taking over the role of Josh Hazlewood. He initially came in as a replacement for the latter, but his performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has proved why he deserves a permanent place in the team.

Australia had an awful start to the Border-Gavaskar Series, having the first Test in Perth. Josh Hazlewood, the veteran pacer, was dropped from the next Test in Adelaide due to a calf injury. Scott Boland took his place and has since been on fire. In the pink ball Test, he picked up five wickets in two innings combined before eventually getting dropped for the third Test in Gabba.

Scott Boland scales 15 wickets in Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Hazlewood's injury paved the way for Boland again for the Boxing Day Test, where he picked up a six-wicket-haul in two innings, stamping his authority over quality Indian batters.

Coming from a prolific Test debut in the Ashes, where he picked up 6/7, Scott Boland has come a long way. While he may not be as tall as Josh Hazlewood, the right-armer's upright seam and precision in line lengths make him a lethal bowler. 

He can extract help from any pitch with some movement whatsoever. He typically bowls from 130-135 kmph range, but his impact and accuracy are enough to deceive any good batter on a given day.

Needless to say, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is an indication that Scott Boland perhaps deserves a permanent spot in the Australian Test team, probably over Josh Hazlewood, as the latter's injury concerns have become a worry.

Boland picks 4-fer in Sydney, traps Virat Kohli twice

Scott Boland had another successful day in Sydney as he chipped four quick wickets against India in the first inning of the fifth Test. He dismissed Virat Kohli twice with the same game plan, an outside the off stump delivery. While the first edge fell short of Steve Smith at the second slip, the second edge was caught by Beau Webster in the slip cordon. Across three Tests so far, Boland has accumulated 15 wickets with a 15.47 average.