He is being tipped to be one who will replace the injured Josh Hazelwood in Australia XI for the second test against India, which begins in Adelaide on Friday. But Scott Boland is not sure of that yet. Besides the Victorian bowler, the other contenders for the vacant spot are Sean Abbot and Brendan Doggett, who have been added to the Test Squad as cover.
But Hazllewood’s injury is not the only concern for Australia. The home team is also sweating on the fitness status of all-rounder Mitch Marsh. Tasmania’s Beau Webster has also been added to the squad as Marsh’s cover.
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Boland expected to play more. He is 35 and feared whether he would play another Test at all.
“I probably expected to play at some stage last summer with seven Tests because of the New Zealand tour as well,” Boland said.
“Obviously with those guys (Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitch Starc) being so resilient, they don’t miss too many and no one wants to give up their spot at any stage. “They were so dominant last summer, they weren’t bowling a heap of overs. We were able to win most of those games, so I probably thought maybe the opportunity had passed.
“I’ve worked really hard during the off-season to get my body in a spot where I’m confident that if I get another chance, I’ll be able to perform for Australia again,” Boland said.
But with Hazlewood injured, Boland now has a bright chance of playing his 11th Test. Hazlewood’s sidestrain though does not look too serious and he may returnto the side later in the five-Test series.
Boland himself returned from a foot injury to play two first-class matches this Australian summer.
Boland is a safe and conservative bet for the Australian team management. But if they want to be adventurous, they might throw in Abbott, who has good first-class experience and packs a punch with his pace. Picking Doggett will be a gamble though. The 30-year-old right-arm pacer, however, had figures of 6/15in the match against India Ain Mackay.
