Scott Boland's rapid rise to cricketing royalty has not spontaneously happened. Any cricketing tragic would know Boland has meticulously developed his robotic line and length over several years.

Boland leads the 2021/22 summer wickets column with 35 at 11.82 and has 129 at 20.47 from his last four summers, definitely not just a flash in the pan. 

Boland finished his first test series with 18 wickets at 9.55. The last bowler to take 15 or more wickets at an average of less than 10 was Jim Laker in his famous 1956 series. Before that, it was Bobby Peel in 1888.

Below I have gone through history and looked at some of the most outstanding debut test series between Australia and England. 

4. Arthur Mailey's magical leggies (Australia 1920-21)

Arthur Mailey was a leggie born in the wrong era. 

Quoted as saying he would rather spin the ball prodigiously and get hit for runs than bowl a batter with an arm-ball, Mailey would fit perfectly in the limited-overs scene as a leg-spinning mercenary like Rashid Khan.

Making his debut at 32 years of age, Mailey had a bag full of tricks and deceived England with 36 wickets from the five Tests at 26.28 (Mailey didn't bowl in the Second Test). After 10/302 in the third Test in Adelaide, Mailey backed it up with 13/236 in Melbourne. This included 9/121 off 47 overs in the second innings (still the best bowling figures at the MCG more than 100 years later).

What happened next?

Mailey finished his career with 99 wickets at 33.91 from 21 Test Matches. He found himself with some flabbergasting statistics next to his name. In Australia's 1921 tour of England, Mailey took 10/66 against Gloucestershire (190 days after his nine-wicket bag against England) and conceded the most runs in one first-class innings.

On the 28th of December 1926, Mailey bowled 64 (8-ball overs) and finished with figures of 4/362. A known joker who never took himself too seriously, Mailey said his figures would've been better if he didn't have three catches dropped off his bowling...

"Two by a man in the pavilion wearing a bowler hat," and one by a teammate who Mailey consoled with words, "I'm expecting to take a wicket any day now".