Australia speedster Scott Boland has admitted that there are threat looms over his participation in the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa, which is scheduled to take place at Lord's later this month.
Boland was one of Australia's best bowlers in their maiden World Test Championship mace at the Oval in 2024 and has also played a crucial role in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 that helped the Pat Cummins-led side to seal their spot in the WTC final for the second consecutive time. Australia defeated India 3-1 in their last five-Test match series, where Boland picked up 21 wickets in three outings.
Despite his performance, the 36-year-old speedster remains in a head-to-head battle with IPL-winning seamer Josh Hazlewood for one fast bowling spot in the WTC final against South Africa.
"I haven't had any chats with them (selectors)," Boland said in London on Thursday.
"My goal coming into the last two months is just to get myself and my body in the position where I can put my hand up and be ready to go if it (selection) goes my way.
"I probably felt like back into the Shield season (Australian domestic red-ball competition) my knee was sort of not wearing away but wasn't going how I wanted it to go and didn't feel like I was bowling how I wanted, but now I feel like I'm in a really good spot that I can bowl how I want to bowl.
"It's pulling up really well so that's all I can do and I just want to make that decision (for selectors) as hard as possible."
However, Boland holds the advantage over Josh Hazlewood because he managed a lengthy spell at training in Beckenham on Wednesday as the Aussies snuck in their first practice session since arriving in the United Kingdom.
Hazlewood reached London after guiding the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title, and he missed the practice session due to persistent rain in the nation’s capital. The WTC final is scheduled to start from June 11.
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