Australia seamer Scott Boland said he is still confident of the hosts’ being in a strong position to win the Boxing Day Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). On Day 3, Australia picked four wickets on a rain-hit day, as Nitish Kumar Reddy hit his first Test hundred and was not out on 105 at stumps. But with two days remaining in the game, Australia have a lead of 116 runs and a win for the hosts will get them a 2-1 series lead.
“We’re leading by 115 (116) runs, so we are in a pretty strong position. Obviously, it could have been better, but I think that’s how Test match cricket ebbs and flows. Hopefully, tomorrow morning we get that first wicket and then put on a really nice lead and see how the game plays after that,” said Boland in the post-day press conference. Boland, who has taken 3-57 from 27 overs, is backing fellow quick Mitchell Starc to be fine to bowl in the rest of the game following an injury scare in his back.
Starc looked in discomfort at times and finished day three wicketless while conceding 86 runs from 25 overs. “He’s okay. He just had a bit of a niggle somewhere in his back or rib, I don’t know, somewhere back there, but he came out after the break and was bowling 140km/h, so I think he’s going to be fine.” “I think he is underrated for how tough he is. A couple of years ago here at the MCG, he had a broken finger and we’re pretty much planning for him not to bowl at all and then he came out and bowled 140km/h swingers.”
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“He’s someone who can play through a lot of pain, and you can probably tell (that because) he’s played close to 90 Test matches now (93). As a fast bowler, there’s not many games where you do play without any niggle at all. He’s someone who can still bowl at the same pace even when he is really sore, which is a great trait to have.” Boland has played at the MCG more than anyone else in the Australian side, as the iconic venue is his home ground.
Asked if spin would come more into equation on day five, Boland remarked, “I’m not too sure if it’s going to spin too much more.” “There’s a decent amount of grass on there (the pitch), so I’m definitely hoping it spins a lot more. Hopefully, there’ll be some variable bounce as Test match wickets get a bit more tired and that would be ideal for us as a bowling group.
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