Can Scott Boland's body endure all five Ashes Tests?
What's the story
Australian fast bowler Scott Boland has expressed his confidence in being able to endure the entire Ashes series, if necessary. This comes as the team awaits the fitness of their captain Pat Cummins, who has been limited to lighter duties due to back stress fractures. Despite these challenges, Boland is ready for all five matches against England.
Past performance
Boland draws on past experiences to boost his confidence
The 36-year-old fast bowler's confidence comes from his previous experience of playing six red-ball matches for Victoria before a Big Bash League season. "Pat and Starcy (Mitchell Starc) have got five in the last couple of years and they all got through seven together two or three summers ago," Boland said, as the Melbourne Stars launched a partnership with Intrepid Travel.
Training regimen
Boland ramps up training intensity ahead of Ashes
He added, "I've done it before in Shield cricket, played six games before the Big Bash so if I need to play all five, I am confident I'd be able to do it." Boland is ramping up his training intensity and plans to bowl back-to-back sessions soon. He said, "I'm making sure I'm getting my loads up, keeping the intensity where I want it to be ... I'm starting to ramp up a little bit now."
Fitness update
Victoria's 1st Sheffield Shield match is on October 4
Boland is set to play for Victoria in its first Sheffield Shield match on October 4 as part of his Ashes preparation. He said, "My body is going really well, I come back from the West Indies and had a good six or seven weeks of strength training and am back bowling now." The Ashes series will begin on November 21 and continue until January 8.
Stats
Here are his Test numbers
Boland made history by taking a stunning hat-trick in his last Test, which was against West Indies at Sabina Park, Jamaica. He currently boasts 63 wickets across 14 Tests (27 innings) at an average of 16.53 (5W: 2). Among bowlers with at least 50 Test wickets since 1900, England's Sydney Barnes (16.43) is the only one with a better average than Boland, as per ESPNcricinfo.