Boland to play in World Test Championship final

Skipper plans to play six Tests in eight weeks but says its likely bowlers will be rotated throughout the English summer.

Scott Boland will take his place in the Australian XI that takes on India in the World Test Championship final and further entrench his claim to a permanent place ahead of Josh Hazlewood who is not fully recovered from injury.

Hazlewood, once firmly part of the seam Trinity alongside Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc has only played four Tests in the two year qualification period for the WTC final and taken 10 wickets.

Given his chance when the senior partner broke down in the 2021-22 Ashes series, Boland had a dream start at the MCG taking seven on debut and now has 28 Test wickets at 13.42.

With six Tests to play in two months Australia is expected to rotate through its bowling stocks and Cummins says they have “the luxury of having bench strength”.

“Hoff’s (Hazlewood) really close to being available for this one,” he said. “So he’ll be available for the first [Ashes] Test. Nes, [Michael Neser] you see how well, he’s been doing in county cricket, Sean Abbott’s here, so I’m sure we’ll be calling on a lot of resources. And you don’t want to finish off a Test match with something in the tank knowing that you’ve got other guys fresh that you could bring in a few days later.”

Cummins denies there is a hierarchy among the seamers.

“I think we’re big on kind of everyone bowl slightly differently,” he said. “You know, even Scott is a seam bowler on a good length but he just offers something slightly different to say Joshy Hazlewood and obviously Starcy being a left hander is bit different so I don’t think there’s ever a pecking order, I think, you think about kind of the three guys that you want to go out and play.

Australian captain Pat Cummins plans to battle through all six Tests of the English summer Picture: Getty Images

“What I will say six Test matches in seven weeks, hopefully I’ll play all six but you know I daresay will be rotating through plenty of bowlers. Well you know I dare say we’ll be using at least four bowlers quite a lot.”

Both sides arrived in London last week with limited preparation given most senior players were either at the IPL or using that period to catch their breath. Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and India’s Cheteshwar Pujara were among the exceptions who found a county berth for the start of the season.

The most recent Test either side played was against each other when India drew the last Test at Ahmedabad and secured a 2-1 win in the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

“I think it is fascinating,” Cummins said about the prospect of playing India in a Test in England. “You never know what might be. We have played India a million times home and away. It feels right in between. I have heard people say the swinging ball is just like Australia, but my experience with the swinging ball is that it doesn’t really swing that much. It does feel quite neutral. I don’t think it will spin huge, but I don’t think it will be as fast and bouncy as you get in Australia.”

Scott Boland will have first shot to seal a place in the Australian pace attack Picture: Getty Images

Cummins says whoever wins the final will have earned the right to call themselves the best team in the world.

In the period from 2021 Australia played 19 matches and won 11, India played 18 and won 10, third placed South Africa won eight of 15, fourth placed England 10 of 22.

Australia was denied a place in the 2021 inaugural final after being docked points for a slow over rate and New Zealand won that Test over India.

“It’s a final,” he said. “It’s exciting. It’s a high pressure moment. So yeah, I think it’s a worthy winner. Whoever wins.

“Does it put a big stamp on who’s been the best team for the last two years? Don’t know, but you’ve won that tournament and that’s what tournaments are there for. So yeah, I think we’ve been brilliant over the last two years wherever we’ve played all around the world, so it does. It would be pretty satisfying winning the final. I feel like it’d be richly deserved.”

It has been a good two year period for a number of Australians and the top order has profited handsomely with Usman Khawaja 1608 runs at an average of 69.91 the greatest contributor with the bat and Nathan Lyon taking 83 wickets at an average of 27 the most successful bowler.

Khawaja has had great support with Labuschagne, Smith and Travis Head all averaging over 50.

India’s batsman have had a harder time of it, victims of their own spinning wickets, and only Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer can boast averages over 40 in the qualifying period.