SYDNEY:
Australia fast bowler Scott Boland said on Wednesday that the hosts will be unfazed by any England aggression when the Ashes rivals clash later this year.
England’s thrilling home series against India ended in a 2-2 draw this month and was notable for several feisty encounters between the two sides.
Boland, speaking 100 days out from the first Ashes Test in Perth, said he had enjoyed watching England and India battle it out.
He shrugged off the prospect of Ben Stokes’s England being similarly confrontational during the five Ashes Tests.
“They can do whatever they want when they’re playing,” said the 36-year-old Boland, who has played 14 Tests and took a hat-trick last month in a 3-0 series win in the West Indies.
Australia have been known to give as good as they get down the years, although they have tempered that aggression somewhat under captain Pat Cummins and attempted to tread a fine line.
“I think we’ve been pretty consistent in the way we’ve played since I’ve been in and around the squad the last four years. Nothing much has changed in how we play our cricket,” Boland said.
“Even going forward, it’s just going to be whoever wins those big moments in the games. We’ve got match-winners with the bat and with the ball.
“So yeah, if they want to sledge, that’s fine. I don’t think it’s going to worry our guys too much.”
Controversy swirled over the previous Ashes series in England in 2023 after Jonny Bairstow was stumped by Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey in the second Test at Lord’s when the Englishman walked out of his crease, believing the ball was dead.
The coming Ashes Tests are set to play out in front of big crowds in Australia, with Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg saying that interest in the series between the old rivals had been “off the charts”.
“This will be the biggest sports event in Australia this year,” said Greenberg.
