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.
9. Other fabulous debuts
21 Australian and English batsmen have hit a century on Ashes debut. The last one to achieve this feat was Jonathan Trott (no relation to Albert and Harry).
Charles Bannerman's 165 not out in the historic first Test match in 1877. Bannerman hit 67.35% of Australia's total of 245 and had to retire hurt with a broken finger.
Arguably the most awaited debut in cricket history, the father of modern cricket, W.G. Grace, made his debut in the first Test on English soil in 1880. With 20,748 runs at 49.52 from 279 matches, including 62 centuries and 1445 wickets at 14.20 under his belt, the 'Doctor' lived up to the hype with 152 off 294 balls and guided his chargers down the order to lead them to one of their most famous victories.
Imagine if the captain of England's National Soccer Team, Harry Kane, came out this Ashes series and made 287 not out on Test debut. This is what happened to Reginald 'Tip' Foster in the first Test of the 1903/04 Ashes Series.
Arriving at the wicket with England 4/117 on Day 2, Foster cruised to 73 not out at stumps. By the time England reached 8/332, Foster had passed Bannerman's highest score on debut, and a 10th wicket partnership of 130 with Wilfred Rhodes saw Foster accumulate 287 runs in 419 minutes, including 37 fours. Foster's total of 486 runs is still the highest by a cricketer in their Ashes Test series debut.
Five bowlers have taken 10 wickets for the match on Test debut in the Ashes. Bob Massie burst onto the scene, took 16/137 at Lords, then disappeared inside a year, without a trace. Fred Martin was brought in for the second Test of the 1890 Ashes due to fellow left-arm spinner Johnny Briggs's injury and Bobby Peel, who wasn't allowed to play by Yorkshire.
Martin opened the bowling on day one and took 6/52 in both innings finishing with 12/104. Martin's performance was no surprise to the selectors, as Martin had 32 wickets at 11.44 from four matches against the touring Australians before his debut.
