Boland gets Gabba nod over Neser, hunts new heights

Scott Boland will edge out Michael Neser for the final bowling spot at the Gabba, as the fan-favourite fast bowler aims to eclipse more records over the coming months. 

Australia coach Andrew McDonald confirmed Boland would play over Neser when the return of Pat Cummins forces selectors to pick between the two for the first NRMA Test against South Africa.

Neither Boland nor Neser put a foot wrong after being recalled for the Adelaide day-night Test against West Indies, but the Victorian's extraordinary start to his career will see him partner Cummins and Mitchell Starc in injured quick Josh Hazlewood's absence.

"Expecting Scott to take that spot at the Gabba," McDonald told reporters ahead of Australia's departure for Brisbane. "That's the running line, and he's done nothing wrong.

"His record is amazing at the moment, so he'll take his place and the assumption is that Pat does play.

"So you've got Cummins, Starc and Boland, with (allrounder Cameron) Green and (spinner Nathan) Lyon to support around that."

After snagging three more wickets in Adelaide, which all came in one thrilling over under lights, no bowler in history with at least 20 Test victims has a better average than Boland's 10.33, nor a better strike-rate (30.6).

And the 33-year-old with only four Tests to his name is on track to set even more new benchmarks.

At his current rate, he will need another six Tests to get to 50 wickets, which would make him the equal-fastest Australian bowler to get there this century, along with Stuart Clark who needed 10 Tests to reach the milestone.

A host of bowlers including Australians from past eras have gotten there in fewer games, including the likes of Charles Turner (six Tests, the all-time record), Fred Spofforth, Rodney Hogg, Terry Alderman (who all took eight Tests) and Stuart MacGill (nine).

But if Boland can maintain both his wicket-taking frequency and his low economy, he will top all of them by a different measure.

At his current rate of conceding a little over 10 runs per wicket, Boland will have allowed 517 runs by the time he gets to 50 scalps.

Of all the men to have reached that mark, only two have gone for fewer runs upon taking their 50th wicket and both – Johnny Briggs (whose first 50 scalps cost a little more than 450 runs) and Turner (509 runs) – played in the late 19th century when uncovered pitches meant batting conditions were often treacherous and overwhelmingly more favourable to bowlers than they are today.

It highlights that one of Boland's most important traits, his frugalness, puts him in rare air in the modern era.

By comparison, the three most economical bowlers upon taking their 50th Test wicket this century have gone for 684 runs, (Vernon Philander, for an average of 13.68), 743 (Kyle Jamieson, 14.86) and 833 (Mohammad Abbas, 16.66).

Admittedly, the sample size of Boland's career remains small.

But a South African side more noted for its strength in bowling than batting presents him with a prime opportunity to continue his run, as could next year's Ashes tour where English pitches have been tipped to suit him possibly even more than the Australian ones he has bowled exclusively on so far.

Low, spinning surfaces in India, where Australia play in February-March, will provide less assistance, but it is worth noting Boland was originally picked to play at the MCG last year because of his immense Sheffield Shield record there on flat surfaces.

The fact Boland commenced the summer out of the Test side, and might again drop out if Josh Hazlewood returns from a side strain to face the Proteas in Melbourne or Sydney, only adds to the right-armer’s unique story.

McDonald forecasted that Australia may again look to continue to rotate their pace attack given the tight turnarounds between Tests, even if they do not suffer more injuries.

"It's an arduous task, probably a little bit tougher for the players to manage their way through a summer," said the coach.

"We've already seen we've had some casualties early on in the summer.

"It's just a reality, the games keep coming. Last year it was Covid and injuries as well, so (rotation) wasn't by design nor has it been this early in the summer. It's something that is forced upon us.

"Would we have the same mentality if we were all fully fit? Yeah, potentially."

McDonald, Boland's former mentor at Victoria, said even his Test teammates had been caught up in the popular paceman's remarkable start to his career.

"What's he averaging in the second innings – four, or something ridiculous like that?" McDonald noted, with Boland's second-innings average currently standing at 4.73.

"So there is an expectation now because it's not just an outlier, it's happening every time.

"But it's fantastic to see the crowd embrace him. It's not too often you get a Victorian embraced at the Adelaide Oval, so that was great to see.

"There's a sense of excitement around every player when they're performing … I think there's a genuine excitement from each individual in that changeroom to see his teammate do well.

"And that's a great strength of this group."

Men's NRMA Insurance Test Series v South Africa

Dec 17-21: First Test, Gabba, 11.20am AEDT

Dec 26-30: Second Test, MCG, 10.30am AEDT

Jan 4-8: Third Test, SCG, 10.30am AEDT

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris, Michael Neser, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner

South Africa squad: Dean Elgar (c), Temba Bavuma, Gerald Coetzee, Theunis de Bruyn, Sarel Eree, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Heinrich Klaasen, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad Williams, Khaya Zondo

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