Scott Boland leaves cricket world in frenzy after 'ridiculous' Test feat

Scott Boland has further cemented his place in Aussie cricket folklore after an extraordinary feat late on day three of the second Test against the West Indies in Adelaide. Boland left the tourists stunned and facing the very real prospect of an embarrassing defeat after taking three wickets in one over to decimate the Windies' top order.

The Victorian quick - only called into the starting XI after injuries to skipper Pat Cummins and fellow quick Josh Hazlewood - put Australia within touching distance of a Frank Worrell Trophy clean sweep after his triple-wicket maiden left the West Indies reeling.

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The tourists went to stumps on day three at 4-38, meaning they need to chase down a fourth-innings target of 497 or survive two more days in order to avoid a 2-0 series defeat. Neither scenario looks even close to being a possibility after Boland and the Aussies put on another clinic on day three.

After Australia began the day by taking six first-session wickets to bowl out the West Indies for 214, they declared their own second innings after a a manic 6-199 off just 31 overs. That gave the West Indies a mammoth total to chase and Australia's fast bowlers a chance to get at the tourists' batsmen in the evening session, with the pink ball.

Boland made it count with a stunning spell of bowling that brought back memories of his iconic Ashes Test at the MCG, where he took 6-7 against England. Even during that famous Ashes moment, the 33-year-old never took three wickets in one over.

The Victorian drew the edge of West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite on his first ball of the night, before trapping Shamarh Brooks lbw and getting Jermaine Blackwood to a superb Cameron Green catch in the gully in the same over. The astonishing three-wicket flurry drew rapturous applause from Boland wherever he went at Adelaide Oval, with the cricket world blown away by his extraordinary feat.

Scott Boland clinches impressive Test record

Remarkably, Boland's three wickets saw him take his Test bowling average back to 10, having seen it creep up to 11 momentarily. His average is now the best in Test history for any player with 20 or more wickets.

"That was pretty awesome," Boland told Fox Cricket. "I thought I bowled pretty well in the first innings but didn't get any wickets so it was nice to get a couple of wickets there.

"I tried to be a little bit fuller (in the second innings), compared to some of my spells over the last two days. It worked."

Boland's heroics have surely all but settled the debate about whether he or Michael Neser deserved the third bowling spot in next week's opening Test against South Africa at the Gabba, should Hazlewood be ruled out and Cummins returns.

Pink-ball king Mitchell Starc also claimed one scalp in the night to go with his two in the afternoon during the Windies' first innings, courtesy of a smart review to get Tagenarine Chanderpaul down legside. The only things missing from the collapse under lights were Nathan Lyon wickets and run-outs, after the two had become features of the West Indies' first innings.

Lyon claimed two more scalps on Saturday afternoon after going ahead of Shane Warne as the leading wicket-taker at the ground, with his record now standing at 59. When Lyon or Starc weren't going through the tourists in that first session, the men from the Caribbean were shooting themselves in the foot.

Top-scorers Chanderpaul (47), on the fourth ball of the day, and nightwatchman Anderson Phillip (43) were both run out after mix-ups. Phillip's own run out was diabolical, when he hesitated, ran, turned around and eventually got caught short.

The drama allowed Australia to pursue quick runs, with David Warner again getting a start before falling for 28 and Usman Khawaja following on 45 in the same Roston Chase over. Marnus Labuschagne (31 from 23), Steve Smith (35 from 36) and Travis Head (38no off 27) all went hard at the ball as Australia scored at more than six an over.

But their decision to slog on did draw criticism when Green was caught for five, with former skipper Ricky Ponting questioning if the team had risked denting the young allrounder's confidence. That remains to be seen, given wickets appeared irrelevant on a day where 16 fell but only Australia had any real joy.

with AAP

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