NEWS
Follow UsScott Boland, who is all but a certainty for the second Test in Adelaide following an injury blow to Josh Hazlewood, asserted that the Australian bowlers will come up with tweaked plans for the Indian batters in the upcoming pink ball Test, having seen the tourists go about their business in the first Test in Perth.
Australia had a torrid time with the bat in hand at the Optus Stadium, getting bowled out for 104 & 238 in their two innings respectively. They also suffered with the ball in India’s second innings when the pitch flattened out. They toiled hard for nearly 135 overs but took just six wickets, conceding 487 runs. Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (161) and KL Rahul (77) grounded them down and then Virat Kohli (100*) came in, struck a ton and made it the perfect innings for the visitors.
But Boland insisted that the Aussie bowlers are ready to ask more questions of the Indian batters in Adelaide.
"We've spoken as a team about our plans for all the different Indian batters. I won't tell you those, but we've got pretty set plans,” Boland said on November 30 (Saturday).
“They might have a little bit of a tweak after the guys have seen them again from Perth, because obviously [Yashasvi] Jaiswal batted really well there. KL Rahul batted well in the second dig as well and really dug in. So we'll probably have a chat over the next week and our plans might slightly change, but I'm pretty confident what we did in the first game was good."
Boland hasn’t played for Australia since the third Ashes Test in England in 2023, and has only played two first-class games since April, with Cricket Australia opting to carefully manage his workload post his return from a lengthy foot injury that kept him out of action for nearly six months.
So the 35-year-old is slightly undercooked in a way, but he asserted that, despite the lack of game time, he feels ready to go.
"Obviously I haven't played a heap of cricket in the start of this season, but I feel like I've played enough cricket to feel like I'm in a really good spot," he said.
"My body's feeling really good now. I had a couple of niggles that were a little bit sore, but knee and foot are feeling really good and I'm confident how the ball's coming out.
"Our last net session in Perth was for me and Josh Inglis, we went pink ball for quite a few overs. So getting it in the hand then and then obviously the overs we can get in probably tomorrow by the look of this weather will be valuable as well. Then Adelaide on Monday, then just a normal prep before a game. So have a good bowl two days before the game and then just prepare to play."
Boland has only played 10 Tests for Australia but two of those games have been day-night encounters. And he has quite an extraordinary record, averaging 13.71 while having maintained an economy of 1.84 across 52 overs.
He spoke of how conditions dictate proceedings in pink ball encounters, where it’s crucial for bowling sides to make the most when they are bowling with the lights on.
"Usually there can be two different games in the one game. You can bowl during the day when the sun's out and it doesn't do a whole lot, and then you get to the night session and the ball starts moving around a bit.
“So I think it's just for the bowlers, we just communicate really well together about what the ball is doing and how the pitch is playing and then just sort of flicking between those modes as quick as you can.
"I feel like the teams that bat first can sort of time when they want to bowl, if they bat really well on their first day, because if you get a newish ball at night, it can be pretty lethal. If batters are coming in, they've batted through the daytime, they get through to the night session.
“I think it's been a couple of instances where the ball hasn't dominated the bat. I think maybe last year at the Gabba we took the new ball and didn't get as many wickets as what we would have hoped in that night session.
"But now back to Adelaide, I think they produce a really good cricket wicket that really suits the pink ball and helps it last a bit longer because it does get a little bit softer after 30, 40 overs compared to a red ball."
The second match of the five-Test series will be played from December 6 (Friday).
If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out on our content — big time. Download the App here
