Hat-trick hero’s ice-cold response to England’s bad boy Bazball tactics

Softly-spoken seaming assassin Scott Boland has a simple message to England: sledge us to your heart’s content, it won’t worry us.

Cricket Australia is billing this summer’s Ashes as “the biggest sporting event in the country this year”. It may also be the most spiteful battle for the urn since the ill-tempered series on these shores in 2017, just months before Australian cricket crashed with the ball tampering scandal.

Scott Boland is not bothered by England’s recent sledging. Credit: AP

This time, it’s England who are the self-appointed arbiters of the moral code, casting judgment on the spirit of cricket while also resorting to time-wasting and sledging in their pursuit of victory.

Boland’s 14 Tests have all come during the Pat Cummins era when Australia has prioritised winning with skill over emotion.

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