Australia squad for Sri Lanka tour: Scott Boland no guarantee to play despite Border-Gavaskar heroics

Pat Cummins has already confirmed he will miss the Sri Lanka tour due to the impending birth of his second child, and Josh Hazlewood is under a fitness cloud. But what about Scott Boland?

SCG hero Scott Boland is no guarantee to play Australia’s next Test despite the fact selectors are weighing up the merits of leaving Josh Hazlewood at home from Sri Lanka.

Although Hazlewood will be fit to return from a calf strain, there is a temptation to tell the injury-hampered quick to go and have a proper freshen-up with Australia already qualified for the World Test Championship final.

Pat Cummins has already confirmed he will miss the tour due to the impending birth of his second child, but even the prospect of Australia being without two members of the “big three” may not save Boland from still entering into a fast bowling shootout for the first Test in Galle on January 29.

The last time the Australian side was in the subcontinent in India in 2023 they played three spinners and just one fast bowler for three of the four Tests, and Boland was dropped after the first Test.

All-rounder Beau Webster’s arrival would allow selectors to consider this three-pronged spin attack if the pitches in Sri Lanka present as raging turners.

But when Australia last toured Sri Lanka in 2022 they picked two quicks and two spinners for both Tests and if that strategy is taken again, then Boland would surely line-up alongside Mitchell Starc as the deserved first-choice pair.

It would be stunning for Boland to miss out after cleaning up India with a 10-wicket haul and leading Australia to their drought-breaking Border-Gavaskar series triumph, but the squeeze is on.

Spinners Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy look certain to accompany Nathan Lyon for the two-Test tour of Sri Lanka, with white ball leg-spinning star Adam Zampa unlikely to be included in the squad set to be named later this week.

Sean Abbott is likely to be taken as a back-up quick, and possibly Jhye Richardson as well depending on if Australia feels they need the depth of having a fourth pacer.

Peter Handscomb is set to tour as a subcontinent specialist, while Glenn Maxwell’s hopes of getting another Test cap appear to be fading – with West Australian Cooper Connolly and even Test discard Nathan McSweeney vying for limited places along with Josh Inglis, provided the No.2 keeper recovers from a calf strain.

Peter Handscomb has firmed for a Test re-call. Picture: Getty

Hazlewood ran strongly in a session at the SCG on day three and will be fit to return from the calf injury which ended his Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign in Brisbane.

However, the question is whether Hazlewood is better off taking an extra few weeks to fully recuperate from his injury-hampered summer, especially given Sri Lanka is anything but a fast bowler’s paradise.

Australia needs the 33-year-old back fit and firing for the WTC final and next summer’s Ashes as the priority.

Hazlewood suffered a minor side strain in the first Test against India and then after missing the second in Adelaide, broke down midway through the third Test with the separate calf complaint.

No final decision has been made over whether or not Hazlewood will be selected and it’s a tough call to leave him at home because fast bowlers do not like to be rested, especially for Test match cricket.

Originally published as Australia squad for Sri Lanka tour: Scott Boland no guarantee to play despite Border-Gavaskar heroics