Scott Boland reveals uncomfortable truth about standing up to England during Ashes
The unorthodox strategy has proved crucial for the Australians in their Ashes victory this summer, but fast bowler Scott Boland has admitted it has not always been easy – both for his ego and his length – to have wicketkeeper Alex Carey stand up at the stumps.Carey’s proximity to the wickets off the fast bowling of Boland, as well as Michael Neser in the second Test, has prevented England’s batters from standing out of the crease – a key tool in their pre-series plan to unsettle Australia’s bowlers.The tactic has delivered crucial wickets, but beyond the scorecard it has been identified as an important reason England have not been able to impose their will on the series that was lost inside 11 days.And it is only possible due to Carey’s talent with the gloves.Ahead of the Boxing Day Test, Boland said the tweak has been an adjustment for him and something of a blow to his ego, given he is one of the best pacemen in the country and typically bowls close to 140km/h.
“Because I’ve never really had it before, I just didn’t really feel comfortable with it,” he said.“I know everyone wants to be a ‘fast’ bowler, and you don’t really like to see the keeper up to the stumps, but I’ve seen over the last month how effective it is and how still I can keep their batter by Alex being up to the stumps.”Coach Andrew McDonald first raised the possibility of using the tactic with Boland before the last Ashes, but it has taken more than two years for it to fully come to fruition.“Speaking on the phone, he said just get your head around bowling with the keeper up to the stumps because the batters like to move around the crease a lot and if we can get them camped where you want them to be, at least you know where you’re going to be, the length of the want to bowl,” he said.Carey revealed after the Brisbane Test he does not practise the technique given the danger involved, but it has proven an ace up the Australians’ sleeve in countering England’s aggression.
Boland was targeted during the 2023 Ashes, and said they “came hard” at him during the first innings of the first Test in Perth, where he was wicketless in 10 first-innings overs that went for more than six runs apiece.“In the past when I’ve had the keeper up at the back, I haven’t felt that comfortable and you end up bowling a little bit fuller, but I’ve got full trust in Cares [Carey] that if I hit my normal length and if the ball does go above the stumps, he’s got amazing hands and has been really keeping the pressure on the English batters,” he said.Captain Pat Cummins and stand-in Steve Smith have been happy to let the pair dictate when and when not to deploy the approach.“The best thing about that is we’d speak every couple of overs, or every over before the start of it, if he’s feeling that it’s better off being back, then I trust him,” Boland said.“If he’s like, ‘nah, I want to come up, I think we can trap him on the crease’ then I’ll back his judgment.
”Boland has overcome a hip complaint and is in line to play at the MCG on Boxing Day, while Carey’s glovework this summer has been accompanied by brilliance with the bat.His 267 runs are behind only Travis Head’s 379 for the series.
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