Former Australia’s gun fast bowler Brett Lee has backed Josh Hazlewood to replace Scott Boland if he is fully fit in the Brisbane Test match against India. Hazlewood was ruled out of the second pink-ball Test due to a side strain and was replaced by Boland in the final XI.
Boland was able to grab his opportunity with both hands as he returned with figures of 2-54 and 3-51 in the second Test. The right-arm pacer plumbed Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma in front of the wickets in the first innings and then got the big wicket of Virat Kohli in the second essay along with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Mohammed Siraj.
“Look it’s a tough one but you’d have to go back on form and what Josh Hazlewood has done,” Lee said on Fox Cricket. “For me personally, Josh Hazlewood slips straight back in. If he’s fully fit he gets the new ball or at least is definitely back in the team.”
The 35-year-old Boland has scalped 40 wickets in 11 Test matches at a stellar average of 20.43 but he has received sporadic chances with Australia having the pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood.
Lee compared Scott Boland with former Australian leg-spinner Stuard MacGill, who was a big turner of the ball but received limited chances because he played in the Shane Warne era.
“It’s unfortunate for Scott Boland because when he’s had his opportunity he’s nailed it,” Lee said.
“I look at Scott Boland and I probably think he’s a bit like MacGill playing in the Warne era. MacGill took 200 Test wickets bowling when Shane Warne was either injured or out for other reasons. So he was a quality, quality bowler.”
“Boland could be in any team around the world. Any playing nation. But unfortunately, when you’ve got Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood, they’re still doing the business and they’re in his way at the moment. It’s nothing against Boland because he’s bowled the house down.”
The third Test match between India and Australia will be played at the Gabba, Brisbane from December 14.
