AUS Playing XI vs SA: Australia vs South Africa Boxing Day Test – Scott Boland has retained his spot as Australia announced their Playing XI for the iconic Boxing Day Test against South Africa starting on Monday at the MCG. Josh Hazlewood will miss another Test as he continues to recover from a side strain. Follow AUS vs SA Live & WTC Live updates with InsideSport.IN
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AUS Playing XI vs SA: Australia announce Playing XI for Boxing Day Test vs SouthAfrica, Josh Hazlewood RULED OUT, Scott Boland gets extended run, Follow AUS vs SA LIVE Updates
Cummins announced to reporters on Christmas morning that Australia would not alter their playing XI from the series opener in Brisbane. Selectors faced a difficult decision between the experienced pacer Hazlewood, who has 217 Test wickets to his name, and the hot bowler Boland, who currently holds the record for the best Test bowling average of all time and has dominated conversation throughout the protracted lead-up to the MCG match.
“We gave Joshy every chance, it just got to a stage where more than anyone else felt like he was a little bit underdone,” Australia captain Pat Cummins told reporters on Christmas morning.
“It’s a mark of the man really, he himself said ‘don’t feel quite right’ so he kind of pulled himself out of selection. We talk a lot about how as a team we need a squad mentality and I think it’s another great example.”
Hazlewood missed Australia’s last two Tests in Adelaide and Brisbane because of a side strain, but he trained hard in the weeks leading up to the Melbourne Test, bowling in the nets on Saturday at what appeared to be full speed. He has now missed multiple Tests in three of the last four Australian summers due to injury, but his spot in the team had never before been in doubt on home soil.
“We didn’t really get to the decision point, we gave it enough time and it played out,” Cummins said of the selection dilemma. “There would have been a part of everyone that would’ve felt a little bit aggrieved if Scott missed out.”
Boland was dubious of his place for the Boxing Day Test but now he will have the chance to emulate his heroics from 2021, when he utterly destroyed England with an incredible 6-7 on debut. Since then, Bolland has bagged 25 wickets at an average of 10.33.
Australia XI for Boxing Day Test vs South Africa
David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon
AUS Playing XI vs SA: Australia announce Playing XI for Boxing Day Test vs SouthAfrica, Josh Hazlewood RULED OUT, Scott Boland gets extended run, Follow AUS vs SA LIVE Updates
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