Impeccable Boland outdoes himself yet again

No one thought Scott Boland could top what he did last summer, but Australian cricket's most popular man managed to outdo himself once again.

For all his Boxing Day heroics, the poetic symbolism of a Johnny Mullagh Medal, his sustained harassment of a broken England side that saw him match his debut figures of 6-7 with a sub-10 Test bowing average, a triple-wicket maiden was one of the few achievements with the ball that Boland had not ticked off in a dream first summer in Baggy Green.

Brought on for his first over of West Indies' second innings under lights on Saturday, the right-armer nipped his first ball away from Kraigg Brathwaite, his third into Shamarh Brooks and then his sixth away from Jermaine Blackwood, finding edge, pad, edge in that order.

The clincher was a terrific low catch from giant gully fielder Cameron Green, sending the Aussies into raptures.

Wicketless in the first innings for the first time in his Test career, Boland had brought Adelaide Oval to life in the second.

"I felt really good. I felt like I bowled well in the first innings, both yesterday and today," the 33-year-old told cricket.com.au after stumps on day three with Australia six wickets away from victory.

"Sometimes you bowl well and don't get wickets. I got a bit of reward today which was nice. But the plan was the same.

"I felt really clear, even from ball one, which isn't always the case … my first couple of games I was always really nervous in the first innings, even this game I was still quite nervous the whole first day before we got to bowl.

"Getting three in an over – I couldn't have dreamt of that."

By stumps, Boland's bowling average was back at an even 10 runs per wicket. Only two men in Test history have taken their first 20 Test victims for fewer runs.

To call him a cult hero would be understating it.

Boland is probably the most adored player on this team – his ability to rouse a drowsy crowd into a frenzy and receive the kind of reception normally reserved for local stars like Travis Head is testament to that.

Reserved and a little shy, Boland is still not quite sure what to make of it all.

Fox Cricket's remote control car camera followed him down to fine leg at dusk and he looked worried he might trip over it. He admits he feels bad for leaving children's hats and bats unsigned while on the boundary.

Asked if he is getting used to the attention, Boland said: "I think so. On the boundary I've got kids screaming at me for autographs the whole time.

"It's nice, I try to get as many as I can. Some kids get a bit disappointed but I'm getting to as many as I can … they were all chanting my name."

Boland is a man with a simple approach.

He bowls a lot of overs, he checks his technical cues the day before games, he bowls in the breaks in play, he triple-checks his run-up before a new spell and he jogs in off the fine-leg boundary at the end of an over that precedes one of his own.

He's not the fastest member of this attack nor does he get the most bounce – his quickest ball is around 10kph slower than Mitchell Starc's and he's about 10cm shorter than Green.

Yet in all four Tests he has played in, he has for large stretches been the most threatening Australian bowler.

"We think of Scott Boland, (his) impeccable lengths and I think he produced those throughout the first innings and today he got the rewards for those impeccable lengths," said bowling coach Daniel Vettori.

"The ball to Brooks in particular, on the follow up from the previous ball, I think that's him at his best where he can go either way.

"He hits those right areas and obviously got the lbw. It was incredibly impressive."

Men's NRMA Insurance Test Series v West Indies

First Test: Australia won by 164 runs

Dec 8-12: Second Test, Adelaide Oval, 3pm AEDT (day-night)

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris, Michael Neser, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner

West Indies squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Marquino Mindley, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Devon Thomas

Buy #AUSvWI Test tickets here