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Scott Boland circled the Melbourne Cricket Ground holding a stump in one hand and the red ball he destroyed England with in the other. The loud 58,000 fans in attendance on Boxing Day cheered their conquering heroes led by Captain Pat Cummins with the wave as the team thanked them for their unwavering support.

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On several occasions, Cummins attempted to push Boland to the front of the group, but the shy 6-foot-2 who was thrown into the limelight at the age of 32 failed to do so. He stayed in the middle of the pack until the victory march was over when cameras zoomed in on the latest Australian superstar who helped his nation humiliate the former English foe by a round and 14 points to take a lead unassailable from 3-0 and keep the Ashes.

The third test was over after 81 minutes on the third morning after England was demolished for 68 after scoring 185 in the first. Australia had a meager 267. But losing by an end after Australia’s low total tells you just how bad this England team is. But credit goes to the Australian cartel of fast bowlers who reduced visitors to a pub side that would probably do better with the bat.

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Boland was living a dream after becoming only the second Indigenous man to play tryout cricket for Australians. He was called up after Jhye Richardson, Michael Neser and Josh Hazlewood were rested or not in 100% shape. Boland is a descendant of the Gulidjan tribe of western Victoria and he follows in the footsteps of Jason Gillespie who won 71 caps and last played for the Baggy Greens 15 years ago.

The coaches are to be commended for taking their chances on an aging superstar who is considered a hero by the crowd in Melbourne where he racked up 272 first-class wickets. Boland’s mind-boggling move from six wickets for seven runs in just four overs was mind-blowing.

Boland returned a for 48 in the first innings and in the second he picked up the tempo with his pace and slight variation that got the English afloat. On the second day he took two wickets, then over his next three days, on the third day, he took the other four. It was good enough to earn him the Man of the Match award in his debut and make his name a part of Ashes history. England skipper Joe Root had the best score in both sets with 50 and 28, but the rest of the batsmen had no response from Cummins, Mitchell Starc and spin ace Nathan Lyon. England needed five more batsmen of Root’s caliber in the crease and now Cummins is insisting Australia will consider a 5-0 shutout.

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As you might expect, there are calls for the head of Root and that of coach Chris Silverwood. Silverwood insisted that “there are bright spots” England can take from the third humiliation test. Is this man real? England would do themselves a favor by replacing him ahead of the fourth test in Sydney, but Root shouldn’t be blamed for the team joke in any way. The other Englishman who was formidable was quick pitcher James Anderson who played like an Australian and returned numbers 23-10-33-4. But Anderson, like Root, were disappointed with their teammates. We may have been given a clue as to how England would fare in the ashes after Starc uprooted the wicket from Rory Burns’ leg with the very first ball of the series in Brisbane.

SHAMI RULES THE DAY
India got the upper hand in the first rainy test against South Africa at Centurion on Tuesday thanks to a brilliant piece of fast bowling from Mohammed Shami. He captured five for 44 to send the home team to 197. Earlier, KL Rahul (123), Mayank Aggarwal (60) and Ajinkya Rahane (48) led India to 327. Pace pitcher Lungi Ngidi had the numbers six for 71. India scored 16 for one in the second kick for Aggarwal’s wicket loss. . . . Ray Illingworth, one of England’s greatest captains, died at his home on Christmas Day at the age of 89. He was undergoing radiation therapy for esophageal cancer. . . . Narendra Patel, one of Kenya’s top opening batsmen, died in England at the weekend. The left-hander played for Premier Club and Suleiman Virjee Indian Gymkhana in Nairobi and went on to represent East Africa. . . . Considered one of India’s top spinners, Harbhajan Singh has announced his retirement from the game.