Ashes hero Scott Boland outguns young quick Richardson for Cricket Australia contract

Emerging quick Jhye Richardson has been cut from Cricket Australia’s contract list after the extraordinary rise of Scott Boland. The Western Australian is the most surprising omission from CA’s 20-player list for the 2022-23 season.

Richardson claimed a vital second-innings five-wicket haul in the Test victory over England in Adelaide last December, but has only played two Twenty20s for Australia since. The 25-year-old was overlooked for the next Test at the MCG in preference for then 31-year-old Boland.

Debuting before his home crowd, Boland made a historic start to his Test career. Having only recently discovered his indigenous blood, the veteran quick from the Gulidjan tribe in the Colac area of Victoria became only the second Aboriginal player to claim a baggy green Test cap. He then took seven wickets in the match, including 6/7 in England’s second innings.

Boland claimed player-of-the-match honours on debut and was also awarded the Johnny Mullagh Medal, named for the champion indigenous allrounder from the 1868 tour of England. Boland went on to play in the three final Tests of the Ashes series, taking 18 wickets at an average of 9.55, and becoming an unlikely cult hero with fans.

Despite touring Pakistan and not playing a Test as Australia used spinners Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Swepson for two of the three matches, the 32-year-old Boland retains his spot after earning a mid-season contract upgrade.

Like Boland, Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Swepson were all promoted to last season’s list after missing the initial intake.

“It has been a terrific 12 months highlighted by the successes of the T20 World Cup, the Ashes and the Pakistan Test series,” chairman of selectors