'Outstanding' Boland reaps reward for Shield consistency

You would not know it looking at Scott Boland now, but just a few years ago he tipped the scales at 118 kilograms. That is not quite in the realm of "The Big Ship", Warwick Armstrong, the Australian captain of the 1920s who weighed in around 140kg, but nor is it in the league of most modern professional cricketers. Now 22kg lighter and a whole lot fitter, Boland may soon become a Test player.

Boland has been placed on standby to potentially join Australia's squad for the first Test against West Indies in Hobart, if there are fitness concerns around either Josh Hazlewood or Peter Siddle. Selector Rod Marsh has expressed doubts about Hazlewood's ability to get through a full six-Test summer, and Siddle struggled with a sore back during the Adelaide Test. It may be that Boland's baggy green hopes rest with his Victoria team-mate.

"Sidds had a bit of a sore back during the Test, he's having a scan today," Boland told reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday. "If he unfortunately is injured then I think I'll come into the squad."

Boland likens his own bowling style to that of Siddle, while their state coach David Saker has been impressed with Boland's consistency. A career-best 7 for 31 came at the perfect time for Boland, against Western Australia in the most recent round of Sheffield Shield matches, in front of national selector Trevor Hohns.

"His pace in WA was right up," Saker said. "The wicket probably helped that because there was some good bounce. But his consistency to bowl the one ball over and over again; any player who can do that in Test cricket has had good success. I'm sure if he gets the opportunity he'll be perfect for it."

As he is on standby, Boland will only join the squad if there are specific concerns around Siddle or Hazlewood, with his Victoria team-mate James Pattinson likely to be part of the XI and Western Australia's Nathan Coulter-Nile the probable 12th man. Marsh said Boland's call-up was reward for a good start to the season, while he has also impressed as a consistent performer over the past couple of summers.

"Trevor Hohns has seen him in three Shield games and he says he has been outstanding," Marsh said. "Nothing was better than what he saw in Perth on Sunday when he bowled Western Australia out. He bowled fast, he bowled straight and he moved the ball.

"I think the best way of putting it was one of the state coaches said to me 'When he bowls and your team is batting, you never feel comfortable, you always feel as though a wicket's about to happen'. It's a little bit like when James Hopes bowls in Shield cricket, you always think a wicket's not far away. That means they never really get taken [for runs], and if they're not getting wickets they generally bowl very tightly."

Boland, 26, has collected 71 wickets at 30.14 since making his first-class debut in the 2011-12 season, his emergence having come after strong performances for Frankston-Peninsula in Melbourne's premier cricket. Unlike many modern cricketers, Boland did not come through the under-age pathways, and had to embark on a fitness and healthy-eating regime to drop his weight to his current 96kg.

"[Frankston coach] Nick Jewell said he wanted me to drop some weight because I was pretty big," Boland said. "It was just him giving me a kick up the bum and that got me started.

"My game has become a lot better, especially in the last couple of years, having Test bowlers in the squad, learning off Patto, Sidds, Hasto [John Hastings] and Clint McKay."