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Scott Boland’s debut county stint with Durham was unexpectedly cut short on the first day due to an injury. Despite this setback, Boland views the enforced downtime as a positive opportunity to better prepare for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India later this year.
Last summer, Australia’s pace trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc competed in seven consecutive Test matches. Boland had joined Durham for a four-month stint in the County Championship Division One and arrived over a week before his debut to adjust to the local conditions.
During Durham’s match at Edgbaston, Boland experienced intense pain on the opening day, which left him struggling to walk as the discomfort worsened. By tea, Warwickshire had amassed 346/1 on a flat pitch in Birmingham, where Boland had previously contributed to Australia’s Ashes victory last year.
“I got back up, hobbled out onto the ground, and I knew I was in trouble,” Boland told cricket.com.au.
An x-ray conducted after the match showed a tear in the plantar fascia of Scott Boland’s right foot, necessitating a minimum of 10 weeks of rehab. This injury halted his ability to hone his skills with the Dukes ball. Boland, disheartened, returned to Melbourne to begin his recovery.
Blessing In Disguise – Scott Boland
Scott Boland’s injury unexpectedly provided him the chance to undergo a full pre-season with Victoria. He noted that this additional time was beneficial for rebuilding his fitness and progressively ramping up his bowling intensity. Boland feels this break will enhance his readiness for the five-match series against India.
“It feels a bit like a blessing in disguise,” Boland said.
“I still would have loved to have played and experienced a county season. I haven’t played (much) T20 cricket for three years, so I was really keen to play in the (UK’s T20) Blast.”
“But I think coming home, having a big pre-season which I haven’t had for three or four years as well, having four months in the gym and building up my bowling slowly, I think it’s going to benefit me going into the Tests.”
“I would have come home from England pretty tired – I would have bowled a fair bit and been sore. I think it’s going to be a good thing in the long run.”
Scott Boland made a memorable Test debut against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) during the last home Ashes series, where he claimed six wickets for just seven runs in the second innings. Despite this impressive performance, he has struggled to secure a regular spot in Australia’s playing XI due to the competition from Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins.
Since his debut, Boland has featured in only 10 of Australia’s 30 Tests. He has accumulated 35 wickets at an average of 20.34 and a strike rate of 43.74, with his standout performance being figures of 6/7. Remarkably, he holds the lowest bowling average (20.34) of any Australian bowler with at least 10 Test matches since World War II.
