It’s been 516 days since Scott Boland’s last Test match for Australia, and it was oh so nearly the perfect return at the top level.
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Replacing the injured Josh Hazlewood to play India in Adelaide, Boland was introduced into the attack after seven overs on day one at the Adelaide Oval; not long after teammate Mitchell Starc struck gold — trapping Yashasvi Jaiswal dead in front LBW with the very first ball of the Test match.
Charging in for his first ball since last year’s Third Ashes Test against England in Leeds, the 35-year-old Boland managed to draw the edge of a tentative KL Rahul to wicketkeeper Alex Carey; sending the packed Adelaide Oval crowd into delirium.
The only problem? It was a no-ball.
Boland’s celebrations were very short-lived, as umpire Richard Illingworth stuck out his hand only a few moments later to indicate the Victorian had overstepped.
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Rahul had been handed a lifeline, after painfully facing his first 19 balls of the innings without scoring — no thanks to Pat Cummins’ three maidens from his opening three overs.
“That’s terrible… oh my goodness, from joy to the total opposite,” Australian great Mark Waugh said on Fox Cricket.
“I reckon he’s wishing he didn’t ‘nick’ it now.”
“Oh no,” 76-Test fast bowler Brett Lee exclaimed in the background.
“(There’s) nothing more demoralising as a bowler,” former England star Isa Guha added.
Boland’s run of tough luck didn’t end there though, finding the edge of Rahul again four balls later — only to be put down by Usman Khawaja at first slip, lunging down to his right foot with no success.
SEN’s Tom Morris noted that the no-ball in question was Boland’s eighth across his 11-Test career, with the vast majority of them coming in his final Test before the pink-ball match-up in Adelaide.
South African quick Morne Morkel holds the record for the most wickets off a no-ball, with an eye-watering 13, Morris added.
A second dropped catch came off Boland’s bowling, with Nathan McSweeney putting a tough Rishabh Pant edge to ground.
Luckily however, the inclusion struck four balls later to remove Indian skipper Rohit Sharma LBW for just three.
He had figures of 2/26 off his first nine overs, with India in trouble at 5/90 25 minutes into the second session on day one.
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