It was like Scott Boland had never been away. Against India in Adelaide, in his first home Test for two years, he could have had a wicket with his first delivery of the match if not for his heel being on the line rather than behind. Instead, Boland struck with his first ball of the second innings, one of his five wickets in a game where he got the crowd into as much of a frenzy as Mitchell Starc’s dramatic opening to the Test or Travis Head’s thrilling century.
And yet, Boland’s comeback could last just one match. Josh Hazlewood, the pick of the attack in the first Test in Perth, is making good progress in his recovery from the mild side strain which kept him out of Adelaide, and there is confidence he will be ready for the the third Test that starts on December 14 at the Gabba.
“If someone needs to make [way], they’ll be pretty unlucky,” Pat Cummins said.
Boland had expected to play a role at some point last season, but none of Australia’s first-choice quicks suffered a problem, and that left him as a spare part throughout. The last time he featured for Australia was in Ashes 2023, the one occasion he has struggled in his Test career as England’s Bazballers used his metronomic length against him and took him at 4.91 per over across his two outings where he claimed just two wickets.
At times, India tried to do the same in Adelaide – Nitish Kumar Reddy hammered Boland for 21 off an over in the first innings, and Rishabh Pant took him on in the second – but they were brief interludes rather than sustained takedowns. By the end of the Test, Boland’s home record read 33 wickets at 13.54.
“Just feels like something’s going to happen with Scotty,” Head had said after the second day’s play in Adelaide. “He’s been high quality his whole Test career. We said that at the start of the week it’s nice to have someone like him being ready to go. He can come back in, and you know the impact he’s going to have. He’s taken some huge wickets for us. The hill was going mad for him. [He’s] a hugely important guy for us in the squad: he’s a great person, boys absolutely love him, the public love him. Whenever he does get a chance, you can’t be happier for him.”
Boland’s ability to land it on the ideal spot from the beginning of a spell was on no better display than in Adelaide. KL Rahul was walking when Boland’s first delivery zipped through to the wicketkeeper, before the no-ball call came; bizarrely, Snicko suggested there wasn’t a nick, although the daylight was less clear than with Mitchell Marsh’s none-edge against R Ashwin on the second day.
Later in his first over, Boland again found Rahul’s edge, but Usman Khawaja couldn’t take the chance at first slip. Boland got on the board by trapping Shubman Gill lbw, and then removed India captain Rohit Sharma with a trademark delivery which nipped sharply off the seam. There was no problem with Boland’s foot when he angled one across Yashasvi Jaiswal with his first ball of the second innings. A few overs later, he moved one the other way to take Virat Kohli’s edge.
“[It’s] just admiration, he just sticks to his guns,” Hazlewood said. “He does his job, he doesn’t try and be anyone else. Whether he’s playing for Victoria or Australia, it’s the same thing, it’s the same areas. We’ve seen him take multiple wickets in an over, so once he gets on a roll, it’s just bang, bang, bang. In these conditions, [with the] pink ball under lights, there’s not many better.”
But Hazlewood himself has 278 Test wickets, and will return if fit. He had a full bowl in the middle of Adelaide Oval on Monday, sending down two spells. Then it would be a case of how well he pulls up from those in the following 24 hours. Hazlewood explained that the latest injury was not “a typical side strain”, but was part of an ongoing issue he has had which has left him frustrated and searching for a solution.
“You’re running in to bowl, and you just grab your hat and you’re off and you’re out for six weeks – it’s not that sort of side strain,” he said. “It’s from sort of repetitive use. It’s caused me a lot of trouble over the last few years, but [had] perfect prep this year, played the Shield game and ticked all that off.
“Obviously [we’ve] got Scotty there, who does a fantastic job every time he plays. That sort of makes the decision a little easier. Sometimes you’ve sort of got to be pretty much 100% to play. And if not, Scott is there [ready] to go”
Josh Hazlewood thinks highly of his replacement Scott Boland
“I was very happy where I was, and it still happened. So I was pretty annoyed there for a few days. There was plenty of meetings from CA’s point of view [with] physios, [and] doctors, all that stuff. So [we will] come up with a few options and see if we can stop it from happening again. I’ve ticked every box so far this week. The side’s obviously been a troublesome area for me in the past. So if I can lean on the side of caution, I guess [I will] a little bit.”
Hazlewood continued to bowl for a brief period after first feeling pain in Perth, but past experience came into play.
“I remember the time in quarantine before the Ashes, I probably pushed it for quite a while,” he said. “The time against West Indies, I think it was in Perth… Pat did his quad, and we had to bowl a few more overs. It feels every over you bowl in that situation sort of adds another few days [more recovery] every time.”
While in India’s case, Jasprit Bumrah looks in need of greater support, Australia’s pace depth could prove a decisive aspect of this series.
“Obviously [we’ve] got Scotty there, who does a fantastic job every time he plays,” Hazlewood said. “That sort of makes the decision a little easier. Sometimes you’ve sort of got to be pretty much 100% to play. And if not, Scott is there [ready] to go.”
If Boland is back carrying the drinks at the Gabba, Australia know that should they need their super sub again, it’s very unlikely he will let them down.
