Congratulations to Boland only the second indigenous player to get a test cap - no 463
Looks like they had pre-planned to play a few fast bowlers this series. Plus not 100% willing to risk Richardson this test due to minor niggles
Aussie bolter handed Boxing Day debut as Cummins confirms two changes
www.foxsports.com.au
Scott Boland has been given the perfect Christmas present, with returning captain Pat Cummins confirming the MCG wicket specialist will become Australia’s 463rd Test cricketer.
But perhaps as importantly, he will become just the second Indigenous male Test cricketer following Jason Gillespie.
After
News Corp broke the story, Cummins confirmed Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser - both of whom performed well in their crushing second Test win in Adelaide - pulled up sore, allowing Boland to debut.
Boland will be Australia’s sixth seam-bowling option used inside three Tests this summer after the injury to Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins’ Covid close contact had seen them ruled out of the second Test.
Yet Cummins said that Australia’s management had viewed Boland as a possible Boxing Day option well before the extraordinary circumstances which has seen six quicks used.
“We had kind of earmarked him as a chance for here (MCG) and SCG in particular, we think he’s really well suited and his record speaks for itself here in domestic cricket,” a grinning Cummins said, while admitting the frustrations started after just an hour of watching from the sidelines in Adelaide.
“Home ground, having someone fresh like him, who can come in and perform straight away, were the big factors. He’s really excited, obviously. It’s a dream to wear the baggy green, but also packed MCG, Boxing Day, it doesn’t get any better.”
Richardson’s absence in Melbourne will be a tough pill to swallow given his 5-42 in the second-innings at Adelaide Oval saw Australia complete a 275-run victory to go two-nil up in the series.
But Cummins said it was important Australia’s management took a cautious approach with the 25-year-old, who suffered a run of injury misfortune after debuting against Sri Lanka in 2019.
“He’s pretty sore,” Cummins said. “We were kind of umming and ahing, he had a bit of a bowl out yesterday, but we thought seven days off, give him enough rest, he’s got a small leg injury, which is nothing major, but we thought rather than risking him and a longer-term injury we’d give him a week off.”
f**king merry Christmas
