‘Good Enough to Compete with Anyone’ – Scott Boland Confident After Perth Heroics

Scott Boland bowled exceptionally well during the first Ashes test at Perth. He didn’t let anyone feel that Australia were missing Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood in the bowling lineup. Besides Mitchell Starc, he was the most successful bowler of Australia who troubled England in both innings. That performance has certainly boosted his confidence and will motivate him to deliver even better in the next Test.

After playing a major part in the victory of Australia, Boland believes he is good enough to take on anyone. He said bowling in the right areas always gives results, so it is the main reason why he is successful in tests.

"It probably just proves to me that my good stuff, it doesn't matter who it's to, I think it feels like when I'm getting in the right areas it's good enough to anyone. I think that gives me a little bit of confidence that if I'm nailing my game… I'm good enough to compete with anyone." said Scott Boland.

The head coach of Australia, Andrew McDonald, has supported Boland to make an impact in the game. He advised the pacer on how to adjust his line and length on the Perth surface, which was offering good assistance to the bowlers. Boland appreciated the guidance of McDonald, saying it helped him understand the right areas to target with his bowling.

"I think Ronnie's pretty nice to me there. I just had one of those days where I just felt like I was over-pitching too much. Obviously, I wanted to start a little bit fuller than normal with the new ball, but I probably bowled seven or eight half-volleys and they all went for four. Some days half of them don't and you think it's [going] a little bit better.” said Scott Boland.

Working on the suggestions given by the Australian head coach, Boland bounced back strongly in the second innings. He went back to his natural bowling strength, which helped him pick up crucial England wickets.

"I was pretty happy with how I bounced back in the second innings. I sort of went back to my natural length. Stuff that I know I'm really good at. I was obviously really disappointed with how I bowled in the first innings because generally I don't bowl too many half-volleys." said Scott Boland.

Bowling Plans for the Next Test at Brisbane

Talking about the next match, Boland said the bowlers are likely to get good bounce again at the Gabba. With that in mind, he added that similar bowling tactics could be used against the England batters in the second Ashes test.

"I think we'll get some good bounce here at the Gabba, which we usually do. We went through what worked in Perth and what's going to work here. It feels like a lot of the stuff is very similar." said Scott Boland.

He then shared his thoughts on the ground dimensions at the Gabba. The pacer noted that its size is quite similar to Perth Stadium, which he believes will work in their favour once again.

"Definitely the ground size plays a big part in that," Boland said. "Perth Stadium is really wide, really big pockets. And the ground is quite similar here. Same as the MCG and SCG. Adelaide's probably the only one that's a little bit different. I think that worked in our favour.” said Scott Boland.

Boland then praised the plans of English bowlers, saying that their strategy to bowl short balls worked well in different phases. However, he said that bowling bouncers can also leak some runs, giving the other team a chance to break free.

"They [England] tried some bouncer plans which worked well at different times. I think sometimes when you do go to that bouncer plan, you can leak runs pretty quickly.” said Scott Boland.

“I think we had them 6 for 80 [88] and then we sort of went into some full-on bouncer plans and leaked [runs] a little bit [but] we got some wickets. First innings, it worked really quick and then second things, they played a little bit better. So I think we'll just be adjusting on the fly." concluded Scott Boland.

Pat Cummins has been once again ruled out of the second test, giving Boland another opportunity to showcase his credentials in the Ashes. He impressed everyone with his variations in the first game, so expectations are high for him heading into the next one as well.