Boland and Hazlewood compete for spot in Boxing Day Test against South Africa

• Australia play South Africa in the second Test at the Gabba on Boxing Day.
• Josh Hazlewood’s return to fitness has left selectors perplexed.
• Scott Boland performed well in the first Test and kept for the following Test.

Australia faces a challenge as they get ready for the second Test against South Africa on Boxing Day since veteran Josh Hazlewood is returning from injury and will be competing directly with Scott Boland for the third pacer spot.

The first two positions will undoubtedly go to the captain Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, but Hazlewood’s return to fitness has left the selectors perplexed because Boland performed well in the first Test and has staked a claim to being kept for the following Test.

George Bailey, the chairman of Australia’s selectors, acknowledged that there isn’t much separating the two pacers for a spot in the starting XI but said it was a happy conundrum to face.

Along with Boland and Hazlewood, injured players Michael Neser of Queensland, who in in for Cummins during the most recent Adelaide Test, and Jhye Richardson of Western Australia are once again being considered for selection. Lance Morris, another fast bowler who was included to the squad for the Gabba Test, is also a contender.

At the Gabba, Boland took four wickets for a pitiful 42 runs, bringing his total from five Test matches to date to 25, at an astounding average of 10.33 per wicket. That places him behind Englishman George Lohmann (10.22), who played in Test cricket’s formative years in the late 19th century, and fellow countryman Charles “Terror” Turner (8.55), both of whom reached 25 wickets at a lower average.

In spite of missing the previous two matches against the West Indies in Adelaide and South Africa at the Gabba due to a side strain, Hazlewood is still ranked among the top 20 Test bowlers by the ICC (Boland was 45th before last weekend’s match). Bailey also rates Hazlewood as “close to 90%” fit, according to the report on cricket.com.au.

The three-member selection panel — Bailey, men’s team coach Andrew McDonald, and Tony Dodemaide — is anticipated to make a final decision on the team makeup a few days later because the Melbourne Cricket Ground’s pitch is anticipated to be very different from the bowler-friendly strip for the first Test at Gabba.

When asked if Boland had surpassed Hazlewood based on his most recent performance, Bailey acknowledged that Boland’s track record made him a top choice for any location.

He bashes a length, and his ability to take multiple wickets in the same over speaks to how consistent he is and the questions he asks of the batter right from ball one, as Bailey was quoted as saying on Monday. “He was on the radar for the MCG last year because of exactly what we’ve seen him do,” Bailey said.

“Josh is recovering incredibly well, but he’s doing great. On Sunday, he had another excellent hit out and, in my estimation, is close to 90%. He’ll continue to construct, and we must make a choice, but it’s a good problem to have “Added he.

With so many Test matches left for Australia, Bailey added that there was no need to rush Hazlewood back from his second side injury in as many summers.

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