Scott Boland admits the 2023 Ashes left a mark, yet he now believes the homework is done should another call come this summer. The Victorian quick, speaking in Melbourne during a “100-days-to-go” function for the men’s Ashes opener in Perth, balanced honesty with optimism about both his place in Australia’s attack and the prospect of facing England’s buoyant, ultra-aggressive batting style.
Key facts first
• Boland owns a Test bowling average of 16.53, the best by any bowler with 50-plus wickets in more than 100 years.
• He collected 18 wickets at 9.55 on debut in the 2021-22 Ashes but managed only two at 115.50 in two Tests in England last year.
• Australia’s first Test against England starts on 21 November at Perth Stadium.
Reflecting without excuses
“I’ve obviously thought about it a lot since it happened in 2023,” Boland said. “But I still think there were times in England where I bowled pretty well and just didn’t get a wicket. I’m a better bowler than I was back then. I’m going to be in our conditions that I know really, really well. I’m hoping to put in some good performances.”
The right-armer, realistically fourth in the queue behind Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, accepts selection hinges on fitness and pitch type. Yet the 35-year-old has spent the off-season fine-tuning the subtle changes he feels England exploited—slightly fuller lengths, minor grip tweaks, and a more flexible spell rotation with the Dukes ball.
Conditions, conditions
“They’re going to play aggressively,” Boland noted. “If the wickets stay similar to what they’ve been over the last few years, I think we’re going to be in the game all the time.”
Australian surfaces have indeed offered more seam and bounce recently. Since the previous Ashes down under, only 19 centuries have been scored in 15 Tests—India managed three of those, England none on their last tour save for Jonny Bairstow’s Sydney hundred. By contrast, England and India piled up 21 hundreds in five matches on flatter decks this northern winter.
Former Test opener and Channel 7 analyst Simon Katich told local radio that those numbers explain Boland’s confidence. “If you pitch it up in England you go for four; here it still moves off the seam, so line-and-length bowlers like Scotty come right back into play,” Katich said.
Crowd expectation, selection reality
Record attendances are forecast for the five-Test series, adding extra theatre to the annual debate about Australia picking only one spinner. The idea of a four-pronged pace unit surfaced after Nathan Lyon was left out for a pink-ball Test in Jamaica last month, when a lively surface and a Dukes ball persuaded selectors to go with seam from both ends.
Asked if similar conditions down under could see him join Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood in the same XI, Boland smiled. “I hope so,” was all he offered, a gentle acknowledgment of both opportunity and the capricious nature of selection.
Subtle tweaks, not sweeping changes
Boland’s off-season programme has mixed Sheffield Shield planning, controlled gym work and short stints with a red Kookaburra to ensure rhythm with the ball Australia will use against England. He is unlikely to feature in every early-season domestic fixture, instead mapping workloads with Cricket Australia’s high-performance team.
Former national assistant coach David Saker believes that measured approach is wise. “He knows what works,” Saker said. “It’s about arriving in Perth fresh enough to hit that six-metre length all day. If the big three stay fit he may still run drinks, but he wants to be match-ready.”
Balanced outlook
Boland agrees Australia must respect, not fear, Bazball. “There were little parts of the England tour last time, when the ball sort of moved around and favoured the bowlers, but generally over there, the wickets have been a bit flatter. And then when you come to Australia, certainly the last three or four years, they’ve been bowler friendly.”
So, preparation continues. Quiet sessions at the Junction Oval, a likely Shield opener in early October, perhaps a warm-up clash against England Lions if the schedule allows. For now, he waits, calm yet keen.
“I’m not sure how many Tests I’ll play,” he said, shrugging. The numbers, the conditions and recent history suggest he will be ready when summoned. For an attack already blessed with pace and nous, adding a specialist in relentless accuracy could be a handy card to play when Bazball crosses the Indian Ocean.
