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Scott Boland, the fast bowler, has pinpointed Joe Root as the England cricketer that Australia must restrain during the Ashes series.
Historically, Australia tends to focus on a particular player from the England side – for instance, the legendary fast bowler Glenn McGrath made it a routine before series to target specific England batters, while captain Michael Clarke instructed his bowlers to minimize Alastair Cook’s contributions when Australia achieved a 5-0 victory in 2013-14.
In anticipation of the first Test on Friday, Root has garnered significant attention from the local media due to his record of not having scored a Test century in this country.
"You always aim to dismiss the top players," Boland remarked. "When Joe Root has served as captain in the past, the goal is to limit his influence as much as possible.
"England possesses multiple capable batters that we will focus on containing."
Boland, who managed to dismiss Root four times during the previous Ashes series in this nation, expressed, "Hopefully, we can keep Joe Root and the middle-order batsmen relatively quiet."
Boland made a remarkable impression in that Ashes series, being his debut for Australia. The 36-year-old claimed an incredible 6-7 on his first appearance at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), contributing to a total of 18 wickets throughout the series with an impressive average of 9.55.
Since then, he has accumulated 62 wickets across 14 Tests at an average of merely 16.53 – only two bowlers in the history of Test cricket have achieved as many wickets at a superior average, both of whom, George Lohmann and Sydney Barnes, played more than a century ago.
Boland's only difficulty arose during the 2023 Ashes held in the UK, where he faced a significantly different England side than the one he encountered at home, which aggressively countered his bowling. He took only two wickets at an average of 115.50.
"I gained a lot of insights," he stated. "I’ve thought about that tour a great deal. There will be some adjustments to my strategy, but I don’t believe I need to make drastic changes. I simply need to execute my plans more effectively.
When asked if he has anything to prove in this series, Boland replied, "Only to myself."
Initially, Boland appeared set to serve as a backup in the main Australian pace attack during this series, but due to the injuries of captain Pat Cummins and fellow bowler Josh Hazlewood, he will now feature in the starting XI for the first Test.
Boland and Mitchell Starc will likely be joined by the uncapped 31-year-old Brendan Doggett as the specialized seam bowlers.
"Clearly, you don’t want to be without two exceptional players like Josh and Pat," Boland acknowledged.
"Our bowling depth has been remarkably robust for quite some time – no one has been able to earn a spot."
It’s going to be an exhilarating period ahead. One or two newcomers will get an opportunity. These are not novices, however. Brendan, at 31 years of age, has extensive experience in first-class cricket and understands his game well. He is aware of what it will take to showcase his abilities on a grand scale.
On Monday, Cummins was seen bowling at full speed in the nets as he prepares for his comeback in the second Test in Brisbane.
England’s approach to aggressive batting will face a challenge on what is anticipated to be a lively wicket at Perth Stadium.
The players from the visiting team will also need to adjust to the larger dimensions of Australian cricket venues, which are considerably more expansive than the Test grounds in the UK.
“I’m confident this will be advantageous for us,” Boland remarked, while at Perth Stadium. “Shots that would clear the boundary in England have a longer distance to cover at places like this, the MCG, and the Gabba in Brisbane.
“It’s the same for them. When their bowlers deliver short balls, it requires hitting it 85 meters instead of 65, making it a significant difference.”
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