Scott Boland All But Confirms Australia's Pacers For WTC Final: "All Want To..."
Australia's seasoned quick Scott Boland is still in the dark about his potential appearance in the World Test Championship final against South Africa on Tuesday at the Lord's, a venue where he would "love" to play. With match figures of 5/105, the 36-year-old was one of Australia's premier pacers when they lifted their maiden WTC mace at The Oval in 2023 against India. He boosted his credentials against India by scalping 21 wickets in three appearances as Australia celebrated its first Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph in a decade.
Despite his exploits, Boland has found himself in a neck-to-neck battle with IPL-winning seamer Josh Hazlewood for one spot in the defending champions' pace setup against the Proteas. With less than a week left for the enticing contest, Boland has yet to receive the green light from the selectors about his spot in the playing XI.
"I haven't had any chats with them (selectors). My goal coming into the last two months is just to get myself and my body in the position where I can put my hand up and be ready to go if it (selection) goes my way," Boland said in London on Thursday, as quoted from ICC.
"I probably felt like back into the Shield season (Australian domestic red-ball competition), my knee was sort of not wearing away but wasn't going how I wanted it to go and didn't feel like I was bowling how I wanted, but now I feel like I'm in a really good spot that I can bowl how I want to bowl. It's pulling up really well, so that's all I can do, and I just want to make that decision (for selectors) as hard as possible," he added.
Boland snuck his first training session with Australia on Wednesday while Hazlewood linked up with the team in London after his title-winning campaign with Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday.
The 36-year-old is aware of the carnage that a fully fit Hazlewood can inflict on the opposition. However, he pushed his case by citing his recent stellar performances for Australia in the Test format.
"I feel like I had a couple of really strong games (during the Border-Gavaskar series), but Josh is obviously a world-class bowler. He's one of the best bowlers in the world, coming off a really good IPL, so I'm sure he'll be doing the same thing here (to push his case for selection). Obviously, we all want to play, but there's probably not room for all of us," Boland said.
If Boland earns a spot in Australia's playing XI, he will make his first appearance at the iconic Lord's. For him, it will be a "pretty special" moment to bowl at the 'Home of Cricket'.
"I'd love to play at Lord's. I think everyone's looking forward to getting there for training in a few days' time and then getting to the game, as it's a pretty special place for cricket," he added.
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