NEW DELHI: Due to fewer appearances for the nation due to the presence of the first-choice, more experienced pace trio of captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood, former Australian pacer Brett Lee praised fiery pacer Scott Boland, referring to him as “Mr Consistent” and drawing comparisons to former Australian spinner Stuart MacGill.
Despite a strong start by openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul in the second innings, India lost quick wickets and finished the day at 141/6, with a 145-run lead and little batting firepower remaining. Boland continued to haunt the Indian team with his accurate line and lengths, taking four wickets.
Lee discussed Boland with the media on Saturday in Sydney.
“He is a freak. He is good everywhere. He is good here because the wicket suits him. Boland is Mr Consistent. His action makes him good, his consistency, his temperament. And he’s under the radar. He is literally the world’s nicest guy, he does not ask for the accolades, and he catches people off guard.”
However, Lee believes that due to their accomplishments for the squad, the renowned Australian pace trio will always be the team’s first choice.
“My gut says you have to pick those three (Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood) guys every day of the week,” he said.
“They have achieved so much. Starc and Cummins are obviously playing now because they are fully fit but if Hazlewood gets his fitness back and is ready to play, unfortunately you have to go with Josh Hazlewood, and when I say unfortunately, unfortunately for Scott Boland. A fit Josh Hazlewood gets into any Test line-up, in my opinion,” he added.
Boland’s predicament was likened to that of former spinner MacGill, who, in spite of his skill as a spinner, was only able to play 44 Test matches for Australia because of the presence of the renowned Shane Warne, taking 208 wickets at an average of 29.02 during his career.
“It’s a bit like MacGill and Warne, that is probably the best analogy I could say,” said Lee.
