Amid the batting and catching fireworks in the World Test Championship Final, Scott Boland quietly shone with the ball – staking an indelible claim to that third spot in the Australian seam attack.
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In the space of three balls in the morning of day five, Boland eliminated all hope of a miraculous Indian chase in trademark fashion. He found the edge of Virat Kohli to dismiss the Indian talisman for 49, before Ravindra Jadeja suffered the same fate soon after.
The 34-year-old Victorian has taken to Test cricket in some style – he reached 33 wickets in just eight Tests during the WTC Final, and his average lies at a staggering 14.57. The five scalps he claimed at the Kia Oval were his first wickets outside of Australia, and Boland seems as suited to cricket in England as he does down under.
Boland claimed his first wicket on the road – Shubman Gill for 13 on day two – just 10 balls into his spell and before conceding a run. He had never bowled with the Dukes ball, but his metronomic length bowling was, unsurprisingly, a match made in heaven with the hand-stitched seam.
Ever humble and unassuming, Boland said of his maiden wicket: “My first experience with a red ball here and felt it came out okay personally.”
All the signs point towards Boland lining up in the Baggy Green at Edgbaston on Friday. With skipper Pat Cummins locked in and Cameron Green also guaranteed his spot as the all-rounder, Boland, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are left to fight for the remaining spots.
Hazlewood’s potential selection is shrouded by injury concern, following his omission from the WTC final after a side issue suffered in the IPL, although the paceman has tried to ease those doubts. Cummins said after the WTC final that Hazlewood would be available for selection for the Ashes opener.
Speaking to the Associated Australian Press, Hazlewood insisted that English conditions would work in his favour, having bowled in training with the Australian camp.
“You have a nice Dukes ball, there is a bit doing, you don’t have to break your back every ball like you do in India or Australia. Hopefully that plays into my hands a little bit.”
Hazlewood averages 23.58 across eight Tests in England, and is well-suited to English conditions. More so than his colleague Starc, who was sidelined for four of the five Ashes Tests in 2019 and was relegated from opening the bowling during the WTC final for only the second time since 2015 – the last time being at Old Trafford in 2019.
Starc, who has opened the bowling in 136 of his 149 Test innings, may be in action as a first-change option once the Dukes’ lacquer has gone, or may not feature altogether. His record in England has deteriorated of late, and he averages more than his fellow quicks there at 31.89.
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Such is the quality of Australia’s seam choices, there are a few arguments going against Starc – but two in his favour spring to mind: the promised pace in this summer’s wickets, and the quality of Starc’s batting.
The 33-year-old averages over 20 with the bat in Test cricket, far superior to both Boland and Hazlewood, and quick runs will no doubt be crucial this summer. His quick-fire 41 in a 93-run stand for the 8th wicket with Alex Carey gave Australia the final boost they needed to put India’s target out of reach in the WTC Final.
With Ben Stokes promising fast, flat wickets to allow for fast-paced, exciting cricket, Starc could potentially reach paces few others will match. This will likely come at a cost, as it has many times before, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Andrew McDonald and co. opt in favour of reliability. There will also likely be plenty of room for rotation, and it may be that, even with Hazlewood available, Australia choose not to risk him for the opener.
Boland hasn’t put a foot wrong in staking his claim to an Ashes appearance. And that should be a very daunting prospect for the England team that he dismantled 18 months ago.
