Canberra [Australia], October 17 : Australia seamer Scott Boland featured in their last Test in Jamaica against West Indies. He played in place of Nathan Lyon in a four-man pace attack and, in fact, took a Test hat-trick in his final over of that match, as per ESPNcricinfo.
Now, it seems increasingly likely that he'll keep his spot even though Lyon is expected to return for the opening Test against England in Perth. Captain Pat Cummins admitted that it's "less likely than likely" he'll be fit to recover slowly from a back injury.
Boland mentioned that he hasn't spoken to Cummins in months but doesn't believe the skipper will miss the entire Ashes series.
"Patty's (Pat Cummins) so resilient," Boland said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"He can play through a little bit of pain if he has some. Those guys play so much cricket there's bound to be games where someone misses out. But if Pat happens to not play the first game, we've got a pretty handy in coming in at some stage during the summer," he noted.
If called up for the first Test, Boland looks ready. He's fully fit and bowling without knee strapping for the first time in years, thanks to the gym sessions after the Caribbean tour. His former Victoria teammate and now national coach, Andrew McDonald, had encouraged him to modify his training to build more durability with age.
Boland started the domestic season strongly, he bowled well against South Australia in Adelaide and followed it up with an eight-wicket haul at the Junction Oval. However, he was disappointed this week, where he was more expensive than usual. Across 30.4 overs, he conceded just over 4.1 runs an over as New South Wales batters attacked him, Sam Konstas even reverse-ramped him for six in the second innings.
With figures of 0/54 from 9.5 overs, it looked like a rare off day but Boland turned things around brilliantly, producing a terrific delivery that dismissed Oliver Davies for 64. From there, he went on to take 5/13 from his next 35 balls, including two more bowled dismissals, sealing the win for Victoria.
"I knew the game was on the line," Boland said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo. "I didn't feel like I'd... not that I'd let the team down, but I hadn't bowled as well as I wanted to for the whole week," he added.
"I just think it's just a minor thing in my run up. I'm probably just stressing a little bit too much from what I usually do. But I know sometimes that just happens. I just want to find my rhythm as quick as I can in the game. And sometimes it happens in half a spell. Sometimes it takes a bit longer. This game just took a little bit longer, but I still felt like I was able to hang in there enough to bowl some spells when I'm getting wickets for the team," he said.
In an unusual display of emotion, Boland let out a fierce roar after dismissing Davies, a rare sight from a bowler known for his calm celebrations, even after a Test hat-trick. His reaction caught the attention of veteran New South Wales coach Greg Shipperd.
"Yeah, interesting, wasn't it," Shipperd said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"I don't know what might have led up to that, but it's not the Scotty (Scott) Boland I know," he noted.
Victoria coach Chris Rogers later revealed there was a bit of history between Boland and Davies, saying the latter "likes to give as much as he gets," though Boland played a straight bat.
"I was just excited to get a wicket," Boland said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"I hadn't got one for a while. But I know we've had some good contests. I played an Aussie A game with him last year. Really enjoyed his company. So nice fellow. We had some nice words for each other after the game," he noted.
Boland will rest in Victoria's next Shield game against Tasmania but will return for their round-four clash against New South Wales at the SCG, a fixture that could also feature big names like Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon.
"I've got two really good games of work into my body now," Boland said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"My body's feeling really good. No issues with any my knees or anything like that that have been little niggles in the past. So I'm really happy with how it's tracking. It'd be nice to have a few days off now and get some strength back in, because I know that when I'm doing that, my body's feeling great, and I feel like I can get through as many games as needed for the summer," he noted.
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