Brisbane [Australia], December 2 : Australia's speedster Scott Boland reflects on his bowling in the first innings of the first Ashes Test against England, acknowledging he over-pitched and struggled with half-volleys but remains confident in his abilities, believing he's "good enough to compete with anyone" when his game is on point.
Boland struggled in the first innings, finishing wicketless and conceding 62 runs in 10 overs, with an economy rate of 6.20.
"I think that gives me a little bit of confidence that if I'm nailing my game, I'm good enough to compete with anyone. I just had one of those days where I just felt like I was over-pitching too much. Obviously, I wanted to start a little bit fuller than normal with the new ball, but I probably bowled seven or eight half-volleys, and they all went for four. Some days half of them don't, and you think it's [going] a little bit better," Scott Boland said as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
Having overpitched too often in the first innings, Boland adjusted both his line and length in the second innings as he scalped four prize wickets, removing Ben Duckett (28), Ollie Pope (33), Harry Brook (0) and Gus Atkinson (37).
Boland said he felt happy with the second-innings bounce-back, after he returned to his natural length and strengths after a disappointing first innings.
"I was pretty happy with how I bounced back in the second innings. I sort of went back to my natural length. Stuff that I know I'm really good at. I was obviously really disappointed with how I bowled in the first innings because generally I don't bowl too many half-volleys," Boland added.
Boland's impressive bowling in the second innings, combined with Mitchell Starc's remarkable 10-wicket haul, propelled Australia to a thrilling 8-wicket victory over England in just two days, taking the lead in the Ashes series. Boland's 4-33 in the second innings was instrumental in restricting England to 164, while Starc's 7-58 and 3-55 made him the Player of the Match.
Ahead of the day-night Ashes Test in Brisbane starting from December 4, Boland highlighted the impact of ground size in cricket, noting that Perth Stadium, Brisbane, and Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) have similar large dimensions, while Adelaide is relatively smaller. He believes this worked in Australia's favour, as bigger grounds favour bowlers, making it harder for batsmen to score runs.
"Definitely the ground size plays a big part in that. Perth Stadium has really wide, massive pockets. And the ground is quite similar here, the same as the MCG and SCG. Adelaide's probably the only one that's a little bit different. I think that worked in our favour," Boland said.
Australia squad (second Test only): Steve Smith (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster.
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