Scott Boland admitted he was a bit nervous ahead of claiming a maiden Test hat-trick and was full of praise for Mitchell Starc's "unreal" performance in claiming the fastest five-for in men's Test history to rout West Indies for 27 as Australia claimed a 3-0 series sweep in Jamaica.
West Indies were bowled out for the second-lowest total in Test history, just one more than New Zealand's record of 26, as Starc took the five-for in just 15 balls and Boland became the tenth Australian to claim a Test hat-trick.
Boland did not come on to bowl until the 12th over when West Indies were already 23 for 6. He did not break through until his second over, the 14th of the innings, when he claimed a hat-trick with his first three balls to dismiss Justin Greaves caught at second slip, Shamar Joseph lbw via a successful DRS review and then Jomel Warrican clean bowled with a stunning delivery.
"I was a bit nervous on that last ball, but yeah amazing feeling," Boland told the broadcasters after Australia completed the 176-run win. "[I was] just trying to keep concentrating and keep putting balls in good areas. I felt like I started a little bit slow from that end yesterday. So, yeah, happy to start off well."
Greaves had been the only West Indies batter to reach double figures before he edged an excellent delivery to second slip. Boland angled into off, forcing Greaves to defend, it nipped and bounced to catch the edge. Boland then went around the wicket to Shamar and nipped one back into his back pad. Umpire Adrian Holdstock kept his finger down but Australia reviewed promptly. Ball-tracking showed unequivocally that it was smashing the top of middle well under bail height, forcing the decision to be overturned.
Boland's hat-trick ball was near-on unplayable. He pitched much wider of off, nearly a fifth-sixth stump line, Warrican pressed forward to try and cover the line and it snaked in off the seam through the gate to crash into the top of off and spark huge celebrations from the Australians.
Boland became the first Australian to take a hat-trick since Peter Siddle in 2010. Starc, who took a sixth wicket to end the match shortly after, was full of praise for Boland.
"He's amazing, isn't he?" Starc said after receiving his match and series awards. "He would have played so many more Test matches in another team. But every time he comes in, he's on the money, like we saw this week, a hat-trick, he is never far from the perfect length as soon as he comes in. He's preparing all the time to play and this week he got his opportunity and showed what a wonderful Test bowler he is."
Boland's skipper Pat Cummins was also delighted to see the Victorian rewarded with another special moment.
"That was great," Cummins said at the presentation. "He's had a couple of moments where he just gets on a roll. And today, that was three classic Scotty Boland wickets. All right, at the stumps or not far away. Really happy for him. He's spent a lot of time running the drinks in the past year or two when the other three guys are fit. But we know his quality when he does come in."
Boland now has a Test bowling average of 16.53 from 14 Tests, at a strike-rate of just 36.0. But he was in awe of the performance of Starc who took career-best figures at the other end.
"Starcy really set us up there and I've never been involved in a game where we bowled a team out for 27," Boland said. "Unreal for him to get his 400th wicket in his 100th Test, pretty special. From our point of view, we see how hard he trains and how well it looks like for his body all year round and I know all credit goes to him for being able to achieve both those things."
Cummins said Starc showcased his incredible match-winning ability with the new ball.
"I think when you talk about 100 Tests, you talk about resilience and skill, fitness and all those things but I think today showed the real Mitchell Starc, what he can bring to a team, which is out of nowhere, tear the opposition apart and win a game for you," Cummins said. "He does it consistently in any format and I feel very lucky he's on our team."