Australia pacer Scott Boland feels that he is well-prepared to counter England's 'Bazball' approach in the upcoming five-match Test series which is set to commence from November 21. The England team will be travelling Down Under to face the Baggy Greens in what is expected to be a highly exciting Test series.
The two teams had quite a differnent start start to their respective World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycles as while Australia whitewashed the series against West Indies 3-0, England had to settle for a 2-2 series draw to India in the recently-concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
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Speaking at an event held in Melbourne, Boland remarked that he is a far better bowler than he was when he faced the Three Lions in Ashes 2023. Notably, the 36-year-old wasn't able to make much of an impact during that series and finished with just two scalps in as many Tests. He further believes that England's 'Bazball' approach won't be able to work in Australia as the pitches there are bowler-friendly.
"I've obviously thought about it a lot since it happened in 2023. But I still think there were times in England where I bowled pretty well and just didn't get a wicket. I'm a better bowler than I was back then. I'm going to be in our conditions that I know really, really well. I'm hoping to put in some good performances," Boland stated.
"They're going to play aggressively. If the wickets stay similar to what they've been over the last few years, I think we're going to be in the game all the time. There were little parts of the England tour last time, when the ball sort of moved around and favoured the bowlers, but generally over there, the wickets have been a bit flatter. And then when you come to Australia, certainly the last three or four years, they've been bowler friendly," he added.
Boland took a remarkable hat-trick against West Indies
Meanwhile, Boland played a key role in Australia's victory over West Indies in the third and final Test of the series. He racked up a hat-trick and finshed the match with a total of six wickets under his name as the Baggy Greens defeated the hosts by a massive 176-run margin.
Boland had also played a key role in Australia's 3-1 series victory against India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 by picking up 21 wickets in only six innings. It remains to be seen if the seamer will be able to continue this stellar form against England in the Ashes later this year.