Last year’s Boxing Day hero Scott Boland has retained his spot in Australia’s bowling attack and will line up at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against South Africa beginning on Monday. (More Cricket News)
The fast bowler will return to the scene of his test debut last December, with Australia selectors opting for Boland over Josh Hazlewood, who continues his recovery from a s꧋ide strain.
Captain Pat Cummins confirmed Sunday that Australia would sti🍸ck with the same XI that beat the Proteas by six wickets in just two days in the first test at the Gabba in Briꦿsbane.
“We gave Joshy every chanღce, it just got to a stage where Joshy more than anyone else probably thought he was a bit underdone,” Cummins said. “It’s probably the mark of the man that he himself thought, ‘I don’t feel quite right’ and pulled himself out of selectཧion.”
Boland has taken 25 wickets in his five Tests at an average of 10.36. The 33-year-old Boland ran through England batters with six wickets and allo♔wing only seven runs at the MCG last year to secure man-of-the-match honors on debut to help Australia retain the Ashes.
Australia will be looking to secure its first test series win against South A👍frica on home soil since 2005-06 by going 2-0 up at the MCG. Tꦺhe third test is in Sydney beginning Jan. 4.
Veteran opener David Warner will become just the 14th Australian to play 100 tests when he lines up against the Proteas. Th𓂃e left-hander will be hoping his milestone match brings about some runs in the red-ball format -- he has not scored a test century since January 2020.
South Africa captain Dean Elgar has confirmed at least one change to his side’s batting ꦏlineup but would not say who is in or out ahead of 🅘Monday’s toss at the MCG.
While Elgar praises their pace attack as t♎he best in the world, South Africa is not ma꧟king enough runs to give the bowlers a realistic chance. They have scored more than 400 only once this year, against Bangladesh.
Their woes were highlighted on the Gabba green-top in the first te🍨st.
“Our build-up in Brisbane was brilliant, we had two weeks that the guys were actually batting quite well,” said the opener, who was dismissed for ꦐthree and two♍ at the Gabba.
“It was a bit of a hiccup that we had (at) the Gabba. But both batting units had that, bar one batsman (Travis Head’s 92 for Australia). Going back to the drawing board, that was the biggest thing for us and trying to simplify t🌊hings, make guys aware of certain things thaꦍt they’d maybe forgotten about.”
The short Brisbane match put a spotlight on 🌠the🌞 Gabba wicket, which the International Cricket Council rated as below par.
Elgar said the MCG pitch is firming⛦ up well as Melbourne’s weather improves — “I hope it’s the past and never to be repeated🌠 again.”
Teams:
Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smi💃th, Travis Head, Cameron ♑Green, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon.
South Africa: to be named Monday.
