“Boland Must Play First Ashes Test”: Tom Moody Backs Scott Boland To Be Part Of Australian Playing 11 In Birmingham

Former all-rounder Tom Moody wants fast bowler Scott Boland to play in the first Ashes Test between England and Australia in Birmingham on Friday. Moody passed a judgement right after Boland dismissed India batter Virat Kohli and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja within a span of three balls in a game-changing over in the recently concluded ICC World Test Championship 2021-2023 final.

With Boland and Australia captain Pat Cummins starting proceedings on Day 5, the former struck twice in his fourth over as India lost half their side with a large majority of runs still needed to be scored in order to seal a 444-run target at The Oval.

Having already dismissed batter Shubman Gill on Day 4, Boland picked three crucial wickets in the second innings to continue generating praiseworthy impact in the match of this importance.

Tom Moody Backs Scott Boland To Play Birmingham Test

Thereby, impressing Moody enough for him to instantly upload a tweet comprising his combination for Australia’s next match. If truth be told, Moody didn’t throw light on what their entire bowling lineup should look like as per him. Having said that, it wouldn’t be wrong to assume that he is expecting the likes of Cummins, Boland, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon to take the field next week as well.

“Boland Must Play First #Ashes Test, relentless line and length,” tweeted the 57-year old.

Boland must play first #Ashes test, relentless line and length.

— Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) June 11, 2023

Assuming that the same happens, it would leave no spot in the Playing XI for currently injured fast bowler Josh Hazlewood. While there are high chances of him recovering before the first of a five-match Test series, it would be interesting to see who Australia pick as their third pacer especially after Boland dismissing five Indian batters across a couple of innings.

Ricky Ponting Throws Weight Behind “Fit” Josh Hazlewood

In doing so, Moody has voiced an opinion which is in complete contrast to what legendary captain Ricky Ponting had said on Friday. Even though he praised Boland’s success and admitted that leaving him out of the Playing XI would be no mean task, Ponting still threw weight behind Hazlewood to start the series on June 16.

“Nothing changes for me,” Ponting was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. “If [Josh] Hazlewood is fit and they are 100% convinced that he can get through the game, then I think he’ll start, but if he doesn’t, you have a pretty good back-up.”

For the unversed, Australian cricket culture encompasses a huge spot for players who have cemented their positions in the Playing XI. Irrespective of how well replacement players perform, Aussies are known to not guarantee them a position after the return of an experienced campaigner. Hence, one doesn’t find Ponting’s comments astonishing by any means.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

Read More