An Unique Tactic That Undid England’s Batsmen
Source:Thuppahis
Alex Malcolm in ESPNcricinfo, 24 December 2025, where the title reads thus: “A brave keeper, an unhappy bowler, and the genesis of an ingenious plan”
Andrew McDonald conceived it, Alex Carey was happy to do it, Scott Boland didn’t like it but went along with it, and the end result was just what Australia wanted.
The genesis of Alex Carey‘s wicketkeeping genius in this Ashes series was a phone call between Australia coach Andrew McDonald and Scott Boland prior to the 2023 series in England. Carey had kept up to Boland on a low, slow, spinning pitch in Nagpur in February of that year in his only game of the India tour. Even greats like Glenn McGrath had to accept having the keeper up at times in India. But implementing it an Ashes series in England would require an ego hit that not every fast bowler could accept. Speaking on Christmas Eve ahead of his return to the MCG for a Boxing Day Ashes Test, Boland recalled the conversation.
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“I remember speaking to him [McDonald] on the phone,” Boland said. “He said, ‘just get your head around maybe bowling with the keeper up the stumps, because [England’s] batters like to move around the crease a lot; if we can get them sort of camped where you want them to be, at least you know where they’re going to be for the length you want to bowl’.
“But because I’d never really had it before, I just didn’t really feel comfortable with it. As a fast bowler you don’t really like seeing the keeper up to the stumps.”
Boland and Carey did not try it much in Boland’s only two Tests in England. His figures of 2 for 231, with an economy rate of 4.91, were evidence it perhaps should have been tried given the Bazballers skipped down at him relentlessly to hit him off his consistent lengths. Carey didn’t really need to try it in this series either, as Boland had fought his way back from a poor opening day of the series in Perth to take a match-winning 4 for 33 in the second Test with Carey standing back to accept one of the three nicks he extracted.
“I think I’ve got full trust in Kez [Alex Carey] that if I hit my normal length, and if the ball does go above the stumps, he’s got amazing hands, and he’s been really keeping the pressure on the England batters with him coming up with the stumps” …. Scott Boland
But Carey made the move midway through the second Test in Brisbane and the effect has been mesmerising on England’s batters. Boland took all three of his wickets in Brisbane with the keeper back. But in between times, England’s scoring rate has plummeted with Boland conceding just 2.54 per over his last three bowling innings of the series.
It might not exactly be cause and effect, because England have changed the way they have played due to consistent top-order collapses. But Zak Crawley referenced in Adelaide how challenging Boland had been given “he very rarely misses”.
Two of Boland’s key wickets in Adelaide, on a 40-degree second day, came with Carey up. One of those would never have eventuated if Carey had stood back, with him able to take a stunning rebound catch after Will Jacks got an inside edge onto his thigh pad from a perfect length delivery. Brydon Carse was also bowled by a nip-backer having been trapped on the crease.
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“I’ve seen over the last month how effective it is and how still I can keep their batters by Alex being up to the stumps,” Boland said. “I reckon in the past, when I’ve had the keeper up, I haven’t felt that comfortable, and you end up bowling a little bit fuller. But I think I’ve got full trust in Kez that if I hit my normal length, and if the ball does go above the stumps, he’s got amazing hands, and he’s been really keeping the pressure on the England batters with him coming up with the stumps.
“I’m pretty comfortable with whatever Alex’s gut feel is. I think when the ball is a bit newer, we feel like we can get the outside edge and he’ll generally stay back. But if the ball gets a bit soft, or the wicket feels a little bit tame, then we want to try and keep them in the crease and sort of target the stumps a little bit more.
“We judge that mainly between overs. He was up to the stumps for the majority of the second dig last week, especially when it got late, and then he just felt like the ball started bouncing. So he’s like, ‘I’m going to go back to these guys’. The guys down the lower order had a little bit more hard hands than what the top order did, so he wanted to stay back to try and get the catch if he could.”
Whether the plan continues at the MCG, which has been very similar to Perth Stadium in terms of bounce, pace and sideways in the last four years, remains to be seen.
Scott Boland has a bowl at training ahead of the MCG Test•AFP/Getty Images
It is ironic that the modern MCG has become Boland’s calling card. It was here four years ago he made his name taking 6 for 7 on debut to destroy England and set in train a stunning Test career.
The irony is that the selectors admit his selection for that Ashes Test was a mistake. He was selected for that Test over Michael Neser and Jhye Richardson because he had taken 96 first-class wickets at 25.56 at the MCG prior to 2021 when it was arguably the most lifeless pitch in Australia. Having been selected as a flat pitch specialist in Sheffield Shield cricket, there has been a widely held belief, particularly in England, that he is the opposite at Test level.
He dispelled that in Adelaide, with the help of Carey. But he had a broad smile on his face as he returned to his favourite ground to see a green tinge and 8-10mm of grass on it two days out from Boxing Day. “It’s a pretty special place to be at, the ‘G, especially for a Victorian,” Boland said. “Anytime we’re here for either a Shield game or training or to be part of a preparation for a Test match, it’s pretty special. So looking forward to having family and friends here over the next week, and hopefully we can continue playing good cricket, because I think our last month’s been really good.”
