Scott Boland's brief Test career has been anything but average, but despite holding essentially the second-best test bowling average in the nearly 150 years of the game, the Gulidjan man was branded the "luckiest cricketer to ever represent Australia" by former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting.
In extraordinary remarks during a TV pre-game address of the SCG Test against South Africa, the Ponting was asked whether Boland could be deemed the unluckiest player in Australian history after his shock omission.
"He's actually the luckiest cricketer ever to represent Australia," Ponting replied.
"Some of the wickets he's played on, you'd be still getting wickets," he said to Damien Fleming, who last bowled for Australia in 2001.
While Ponting referred to seam-friendly conditions helping Boland, he added "that's not taking anything away from what Boland has done".
Ponting also acknowledged Boland was indeed "very unlucky" to have missed out on selection for the third test.
In six tests Boland, the second Indigenous cricketer known to represent Australia in official tests, has taken 28 wickets at an extraordinary average of just 12.21 runs per wicket. Only 1890s English medium pacer George Lohmann, bowling on the more bowler-friendly pitches of his era, has a better average among players who bowled in more than one series.
Boland also has the best all-time Test strike rate of 33.2 ahead of Lohmann's next best of 34.1 balls per wicket.
The Victorian's astonishing figures since debuting in the Ashes' Boxing Day Test last year against England with 6-7 in the second innings make a compelling case that selectors erred in dumping an extra seamer to ensure Josh Hazelwood's inclusion.
But despite Australia also losing injured pair Mitch Starc and Cameron Green for the third Test of the series, Ponting said Boland had to accept his order in the pecking list.
Australia backed Ashton Agar as the second spinner to Nathan Lyon and chose an extra batsman as cover for allrounder Green, with opener Matt Renshaw at six.
"Scott Boland is very unlucky to have missed out…Boland's record is outstanding," he said.
"He probably deserves to be in the team, but the cold, hard facts are that he wasn't in Australia's best three fast bowlers at the start of the summer and he only got a game due to injury.
"So, he has to go back out and Hazelwood comes into his regulation spot."
Cricket fans expressed their anger on social media, most referring to Boland's axing as either a "joke" or a "disgrace".
