Boland Test final frontrunner despite Hazlewood inclusion

Scott Boland is the frontrunner to be Australia’s third seamer in the Test Championship final against India despite Josh Hazlewood’s inclusion in the squad as he builds up his readiness after injury.

Boland and Hazlewood were both named in a 15-player squad announced by the ICC, with Matt Renshaw and Mitchell Marsh dubbed reserves. Marcus Harris and back-up wicketkeeper Josh Inglis are the 14th and 15th players in the squad.

Scott Boland gets his baggy green cap from Josh Hazlewood before the third Test against England at the MCG in 2021.Credit: Getty Images

Australia’s selectors have characterised the Test final as a time for recognition of the group’s efforts over two years. They overcame a very difficult draw – Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India all away from home – to qualify for the decider after tripping up with a much less taxing set of fixtures between 2019 and 2021, leaving New Zealand to beat India in the inaugural final at Southampton.

As such, Boland’s record in his seven Tests during the period, 28 victims at the staggering average of 13.42 and strike rate of 36.8, more than merits inclusion. By contrast, Hazlewood has only been able to play four matches in that time, collecting 10 wickets at 29.7, albeit one of those games was on the moribund Rawalpindi surface.

“The way we are looking at that is it’s a culmination of what’s been a pretty consistent two years,” selection chair George Bailey has said. “It’s been a pretty similar team for a long period of time. We are confident that’s a team and that’s a make-up that can have success.”

Hazlewood was unavailable for selection during the Test series in India due to an Achilles problem, and subsequently left the IPL early with side soreness. He has also suffered side strains in each of the past two home summers.

While still bowling, he has previously acknowledged that medical staff and selectors must carefully weigh up when to return him to action, meaning it is unlikely he will be rushed back for the Test championship final against India at the Oval, starting on June 7.

“The first long-form game of the summer is always a bit of make or break,” Hazlewood had said. “If you get through it, you can keep going and going, but if you don’t, then it’s back to square one.”

Under ICC regulations, Hazlewood may yet be replaced in the squad if he suffers a setback in his recovery, meaning there is still a chance that Michael Neser will be drafted in.

Neser, who has excelled for Glamorgan in county matches during the northern season, is part of the wider Australian squad currently preparing in Britain, as is Surrey’s Sean Abbott. In his two Tests, each in Adelaide over the past two summers when Hazlewood was injured, Neser claimed seven wickets at 16.71 with the pink Kookaburra ball.

India’s squad for the final includes sometime captain Ajinkya Rahane, Ishan Kishan and Shardul Thakur among players who did not take part in the Border-Gavaskar series in February and March.

The Indian side’s travel to London, already a short turnaround from the IPL, has been delayed further by the postponement of the final to its reserve day due to heavy rain in Ahmedabad. If the reserve day is also washed out, top team Gujarat Titans will be handed the trophy.

World Test Championship squads

Australia: Pat Cummins (capt), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Josh Inglis, Todd Murphy, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner.

Reserves: Mitch Marsh, Matt Renshaw.

India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Ravichandran Ashwin, KS Bharat, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadakt, Umesh Yadav.

Reserves: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav.