The unlikely hero: Why is Scott Boland Australia's Ashes cheat code at home?

Scott Boland's home record in Tests [Source: @OneCricketApp/X.com]

Scott Boland’s rise in Test cricket is one of those rare sporting stories that feels too perfectly written to be real. A debut at 32 and a fairytale spell at the MCG.

And now, heading into the Ashes 2025 opener, he suddenly stands as Australia’s most reliable home Test fast bowler. 

With Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood unavailable for the first Test at Perth, Boland isn’t just part of the pace attack. 

He is the pace attack. And if his home numbers are anything to go by, England should already be losing sleep.

Because Scott Boland at home is not form, not momentum, not a purple patch, he is a statistical glitch.

---

ALSO READ

"We can keep Joe Root quiet": Scott Boland sets his target on star player ahead of The Ashes

---

Scott Boland has unreal accuracy at home

(Table - Scott Boland's Test stats in Australia)

In 18 Test innings in Australia, Scott Boland has gone wicketless only once. 10 times, he has picked up at least three wickets. And this is in a team that features Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, all world-class wicket-takers. 

Yet Boland quietly, almost stubbornly, keeps punching above his weight. His average at home? 12.63. That isn’t just good. That is “Did someone misprint the data?” territory.

And then there are the spells. A collection so outrageous it reads like a highlights reel: 

• 6/7 vs England (MCG 2021)
• 6/46 (Adelaide)
• 4/31, 4/36
• 3/16, 3/18, 3/30, 3/39, 3/51, 3/57

Every time he gets the ball at home, something happens. The seam nips. The length bites. The batter misjudges by an inch. And suddenly, Scott Boland is wheeling away with that same calm, almost embarrassed smile.

Why Scott Boland terrifies England specifically?

(Table - Scott Boland's Test stats vs England)

Scott Boland’s record against England is the stuff of nightmares, at least if you happen to hold an English passport in the top order.

In the 2021-22 Ashes, England simply could not pick him. Joe Root fell to him four times. Jonny Bairstow struggled against the length. 

Haseeb Hameed looked like he was batting in a wind tunnel. Zak Crawley nicked off so frequently it became part of the script.

Against England batters, Boland concedes under 13 runs per wicket, and his average (20.15) is even lower. His strength is hitting the same spot relentlessly. 

That magnifies England’s weakness, which is their tendency to push early and hard at the ball in Australian conditions.

Joe Root averages over 50 against pace overall, but against Scott Boland, he has looked unsure, poking at balls he normally leaves. 

Jonny Bairstow has been beaten on both edges. Crawley and Duckett, aggressive by nature, find themselves playing shots not suited to bouncing, seaming Australian decks. 

Ashes 2025 will see Boland as the enforcer

For years, Scott Boland was seen as the “depth” bowler, a luxury option behind three giants. In the Ashes 2025 opener, he will become the heartbeat of the attack. And maybe, that’s exactly how the script was always meant to turn.

With Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood sidelined, Australia won’t just look at Scott Boland for control. They will look at him for breakthroughs, momentum, and leadership. And in home conditions, he has already proven he can deliver all three.

If England think they have seen the worst of Scott Boland, they might want to revisit Melbourne 2021, because the man who produced 6/7 with the new ball is no longer a surprise package. 

He’s Australia’s Ashes cheat code. And in Perth this time, he might just unlock another chapter.

---

ALSO READ

Dead ball that came alive: Revisiting Jonny Bairstow's run-out that redefined Ashes folklore

---