STATS
Follow UsAustralia pacer Scott Boland picks up his 50th Test wicket on day one of the fifth Test against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Nitish Kumar Reddy became his 50th victim, and just a ball before that, he got rid of Rishabh Pant as well.
Boland, who made his debut against England in Melbourne in 2021, has joined an elite list of players. Among Australian bowlers who have picked up at least 50 Test wickets, Boland's average of 18.64 is the fourth-best. He is the first Australian in 92 years to pick up 50 Test wickets at an average under 20.00.
Best bowling average for Australian bowler in Tests
16.53 - Charlie Turner
17.97 - Bert Ironmonger
18.41 - Fred Spofforth
18.64 - Scott Boland
*Min 50 wickets
Moreover, he has the best-ever strike-rate in Tests for an Australian as well, well ahead of some of the greats of the game.
Best bowling strike rate for Australia in Tests
40.3 - Scott Boland
44.5 - Fred Spofforth
45.1 - Jack Saunders
46.7 - Pat Cummins
48.0 - Doug Bollinger
*Min 50 wickets
Boland started the day with the wicket of the dangerous Yashasvi Jaiswal and should have had Virat Kohli off the very next ball, but Steven Smith grassed the ball at slip before popping it to Marnus Labuschagne at gully. It took a while, but he finally got the better of Kohli, with the batter once again being dismissed poking at one outside off.
Pant and Reddy followed suit off consecutive deliveries. As it stands, Boland is very much in line to get his first fifer since his heroics on debut where he finished with 6/7.
Interestingly, Boland is not someone who makes up the numbers with wickets of the tail. Majority of his wickets have come against the top six.
Scott Boland wickets against bat positions in Tests
Openers (1-2): 22 inns, 12 wickets, 14.2 average, 37.2 SR
3-6: 24 inns, 25 wickets, 20.4 average, 44.1 SR
7-8: 21 inns, 7 wickets, 26.0 average, 46.3 SR
9-11: 14 inns, 6 wickets, 11.5 average, 24.2 SR
The pacer is also known to get the big fish!
Most batters dismissed by Scott Boland in Tests
Virat Kohli - 4 dismissals
Joe Root - 4 dismissals
Shubman Gill - 3 dismissals
Zak Crawley - 3 dismissals
Jonny Bairstow - 3 dismissals
Boland is playing in the series only due to the calf injury sustained by Josh Hazlewood. Boland is more than making up for Hazlewood's absence and has certainly made a case for him to play a more regular role.
