Debutant Scott Boland, who was declared Player of the Match for returning with stunning figures of six for seven in the second innings, said he was “speechless.”
Australian cricketers “couldn’t believe” their “insane” victory by an innings and 14 runs over England in the third Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Tuesday. The Pat Cummins-led side bowled England out for 68 in the second innings to win the third Test and retain the Ashes. They now lead the five-match series 3-0 and look set for a whitewash against a struggling England side. Australia captain Pat Cummins and star of the show debutant Scott Boland shared their thoughts after they bowled England out in just 27.4 overs on Day 3. Boland, who was declared Player of the Match for returning with stunning figures of six for seven in the second innings, said he was “speechless.”
“I’m speechless as well, had no idea it would be over so soon. Those are my best-ever figures, nothing has happened this quickly before. They (the crowd) were amazing, going down there (near the boundary) gave me a real buzz,” he said.
Boland, who had come into the side as an injury cover, had a dream debut with 7 wickets in the match. The right-arm seamer said he came to know on Christmas eve that he would get his Test cap on the Boxing Day Test.
“Can’t really believe. We thought we had a chance of winning today when we came in, but just not so quickly. I came to know on Christmas Eve, and had a lot of support from teammates and family. It was a big step up from anything that I have played, and I knew it would be tough. I want to thank the crowd for all their support over the last three days, really appreciate it. There were about 17 of us who learnt about that tour of 1868, and my family and I are very proud about winning this award. I would like to thank the coaches for getting this chance to play on my homeground, and would also like to thank my parents, my wife and my two kids,” Boland said after the match.
“Pretty insane”: Pat Cummins after Australia’s victory
Pat Cummins, Australia’s captain, who returned to the side after missing the second Test match, said he was “proud” of the effort of his players.
“It is pretty insane. Just an awesome few weeks, so proud of the group as everything clicked and everything worked out,” Cummins said.
Lauding the likes of Michael Neser and Boland, the right-arm fast bowler said Australia have a “big pool” to choose from.
“Thrilled for Scott Boland playing in front of his home crowd here. We have been relentless. The bowlers have just turned up and owned their areas outside off-stump. There have been big partnerships, everyone’s performed, everyone’s contributed – it’s a great feeling.
“The batsmen have left well and have been brave when the opportunities have presented themselves. Neser was disappointed after bowling so well last week to not get a chance in this game. But we have a big pool to pick from. We knew whoever steps in will do a great job. We were really confident that Scotty would do a great job; maybe not 6 for 7 (laughs). Any Ashes series is where you make a mark in Test cricket. The last series was 4-0, the one before that was 5-0, and it is a chance for us to cement our identity in the next few years,” he added.