Scott Boland's rapid rise to cricketing royalty has not spontaneously happened. Any cricketing tragic would know Boland has meticulously developed his robotic line and length over several years.
Boland leads the 2021/22 summer wickets column with 35 at 11.82 and has 129 at 20.47 from his last four summers, definitely not just a flash in the pan.
Boland finished his first test series with 18 wickets at 9.55. The last bowler to take 15 or more wickets at an average of less than 10 was Jim Laker in his famous 1956 series. Before that, it was Bobby Peel in 1888.
Below I have gone through history and looked at some of the most outstanding debut test series between Australia and England.
1. Charles Turner and J.J. Ferris (Australia 1886-87)
Before Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee formed the Terror Twins on Sunset Boulevard in the 1980s, the Australian cricket team had their own Terror Twins in Charles Turner and J.J. Ferris.
Turner and Ferris joined forces on debut in the 1886-87 summer and bowled England out for 45 on the first morning of their fairytale debut Test. Turner was the chief destroyer with 6/15 off 18 overs. In the second innings, Ferris bowled 61 (four-ball) overs for 5/76, and Australia lost the test by 13 runs trying to chase 110. Even though Ferris took 18 wickets at 13.50 and Turner took 17 at 9.47, Australia still lost the Ashes 2-0.
What happened next?
Charles 'The Terror' Turner became the greatest bowler in the world. He took 106 wickets in 11 matches during the 1887-88 Australian summer (a record), took 283 wickets at 11.27 from 36 first-class matches in Australia's tour of England, and became the first Australian test cricketer to take 100 wickets, finishing with 101 at 16.53 from 17 tests.
Charles Turner's first-class bowling statistics from 1886-1888: 59 matches, 470 wickets, 11.83 average, 52 five-wicket, 20 ten-wicket.
Ferris dominated England in their 1888 tour with 199 wickets at 14.74 and 186 wickets at 14.28 in 1890. After another summer in Australia, Ferris moved to England permanently in 1891 and joined an English tour to South Africa in 1891/92, becoming the third cricketer in history to play for two International teams, taking 13 wickets in his only Test for England.
Ferris came back to Australia in 1895/96 for three more matches, then enlisted in the British Army to fight in the Second Boer War and died from a seizure after being dishonorably discharged.
