Australia’s selectors face a Boxing Day Test conundrum as the only Victorian in the squad, Scott Boland, is in danger of being squeezed out by a returning Josh Hazlewood.
Chairman of selectors George Bailey joked that he would be diving for cover at the prospect of leaving last year’s Boxing Day hero out in front of 70,000 Victorians on the biggest cricketing day of the year.
“It’s very important to have two Victorian selectors on the panel. Tony Dodemaide and Andrew McDonald will be in charge of that,” Bailey said with a smile.
On the surface Boland, 33, would appear undroppable. Not only is he the sole Victorian who will be inhabiting the MCG on Test cricket’s sacred day, he also has 25 wickets in five Tests at an average of just 10 (yes, 10!).
Those extraordinary numbers are built on the back of his amazing debut almost a year ago, when he claimed second innings figures of 6-7 during the Boxing Day Test to bowl England out for just 68 as Australia won by an innings at lunch on the third day. There is unlikely to be so much grass on the MCG this time around.
Boland wasn’t quite so dominant on the Gabba greentop during Australia’s hard-fought two-day victory in the just completed second Test against South Africa, but still finished with figures of 2-28 and 2-14.
Top 10 Test bowling averages (minimum 2000 balls)
- GA Lohmann (ENG): 10.75 (18 matches, 112 wickets, 1205 runs)
- JJ Ferris (AUS/ENG): 12.70 (9 matches, 61 wickets, 775 runs)
- W Barnes (ENG): 15.54 (21 matches, 51 wickets, 793 runs)
- W Bates (ENG): 16.42 (15 matches, 50 wickets, 821 runs)
- SF Barnes (ENG): 16.43 (27 matches, 189 wickets, 3106 runs)
- CTB Turner (AUS): 16.53 (17 matches, 101 wickets, 1670 runs)
- R Peel (ENG): 16.98 (20 matches, 101 wickets, 1715 runs)
- J Briggs (ENG): 17.75 (33 matches, 118 wickets, 2095 runs)
- H Ironmonger (AUS): 17.97 (14 matches, 74 wickets, 1330 runs)
- FR Spoffoth (ENG): 18.56 (18 matches, 94 wickets, 1731 runs)
Scott Boland so far: 10.36 average (5 matches, 25 wickets, 259 runs, 757 balls)
Source: Cricinfo
Bailey once described Boland as a Boxing Day specialist after the spectacular start to his Test career but now believes that pidgeon hole is unfair.
“I’d have to retract that because I think he’s become a specialist everywhere,” Bailey said. “He was on the radar for the MCG last year because of exactly what we’ve seen him do. He bashes a length.
“I think his ability to take multiple wickets in the same over speaks to how consistent he is and the questions he asks of the batter right from ball one. He’s going fantastically well.
“Josh [Hazlewood] is recovering really well. He had another really good hit out and is close to 90 per cent I reckon.
Scott Boland has made a remarkable start to his Test career.Credit:Getty
“We’re seven days out from the Test. He’ll keep building and clearly we’ve got a decision to make, but it’s a good problem to have. I’m really glad that it is a tough decision to make.”
Hazlewood is happy with his progress recovering from a side strain after bowling in the Gabba nets as his pace mates were dismantling South Africa for just 99 in their second innings on Sunday.
“It went very much according to plan,” Hazlewood said. “I pushed upwards of 90 per cent for a couple of deliveries.
“It’s all about the next three or four sessions before that 24th and I can really tick it [recovery] off. Everything is feeling really nice and I’m not noticing the side at all so fingers crossed.”
Josh Hazlewood has been arguably Australia’s most reliable pace option – when fit.Credit:AP
Christmas Eve is Australia’s main training session ahead of the Test and Hazlewood, 31, will need to prove his fitness with a strong workout before being considered.
With 217 wickets in 58 Tests at an average of 26, Hazlewood has been Australia’s most reliable Test bowler for half a decade and would usually be an automatic selection. However, this is the second time in as many seasons he’s broken down with a side strain at the beginning of the Test summer.
The injuries have coincided with his development as a white ball player who is now one of Australia’s most valuable players across all three formats.
But with Australia playing three months of white ball cricket before heading into the Test summer, Hazlewood admits his Test preparation may have been compromised.
“It’s been a bit of a frustrating period, especially with the red ball,” Hazlewood said. “White ball has been going great. Maybe that’s the cost of playing all three formats and putting all your energy into every game you play.
“You don’t have that time to build your strength up or workloads up and get ready for a Test match. I might have to look at that and find a way around it somehow.”
Bailey admitted the prospect of injuries to fast bowlers made planning difficult, with Australia using six pacemen during last summer’s Ashes series.
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