Holland's topsy-turvy journey to Galle

An expired passport, replaced in a hurried 24 hours before flying to Sri Lanka, says a lot about how much Jon Holland has thought about playing for Australia in a Test match lately. But canny displays in training for the tourists, ahead of a game they must win, spoke equally loudly for a level of ability the selectors have always rated.

The call from chairman of selectors Rod Marsh to tell Holland he needed to travel to Galle to replace Steve O'Keefe and partner Nathan Lyon in the second Test necessitated a journey from Brisbane back to Melbourne for a hurried renewal of documents. It is seven years since Holland last made an Australian tour, an ODI sojourn to India in 2009.

"Rod rang me when I was up in Brisbane, getting ready for Australia A, and told me that SOK was not good and I had to get over here," Holland said. "It was a bit of a surprise, so much of a surprise that I didn't have a passport ready, so I was a bit nervous.

"I went back to Melbourne, I had to renew it, it had expired. Getting over here, just being around the group it hits home a bit more.

"I will be a little bit nervous if I do get a chance to play, I have worked hard on my bowling the last couple of years. I am pretty comfortable with where my bowling's at. Hopefully, if I do get a chance, I can get myself into the game and get a couple of results."

On that previous tour, Holland was so close to a debut that he had "the chat" with then captain Ricky Ponting informing him he would play in the final match of the series in Mumbai. But rain began to fall almost as soon as Ponting spoke those words, and so, Holland returned home without playing.

"It was the last game, we'd already won the series," Holland said. "Ricky told me on the bus after training which was the next day, and as soon as he told me, it started raining and it didn't stop until we got on the plane to come home, so unfortunately I missed out, but that's the way it goes.

"I guess it was in the back of my mind that time was getting away from me, but I really enjoy playing cricket for Victoria. They've stuck with me through three shoulder injuries and supported me and given me the chance to play cricket, I have to thank them. It's here now, it's all a bit surreal still and I will just have to wait and see if I do get the chance to play."

Usefully, Holland is dropping into the Australian side in a manner he has become familiar with for Victoria. The selectors' preference for Fawad Ahmed as the No. 1 spinner has meant Holland only plays on spinning pitches, and has harvested 22 wickets at 16.41 from his past three Shield games, spread over two seasons. Eight wickets in the Shield final piqued the selectors' interest ahead of this tour.

"I would like to play every game for Victoria but that hasn't been the case," he said. "Fawad has bowled extremely well for Victoria and it's been hard to get in there, and especially in Australia - playing two spinners doesn't happen too often, but my opportunities for Victoria have come and I enjoy playing for Victoria.

"The Shield final was a big game for me. I'd missed out on a couple, one through injury and one not being selected the year before. It was a big dream of mine to play in a winning Shield for Victoria, and to get the opportunity and do well was a really great week for me."

In watching the first Test of the series on television, Holland was reminded of the left-arm spinner's art by the clever variations of Rangana Herath. There has been evidence of similar skill from Holland in training, varying his pace and degree of spin to beat Australian bats on numerous occasions. Cricketers rather than athletes, Herath and Holland share an instinctive understanding of deceit.

"He knows the conditions extremely well here," Holland said of Herath. "He just bowls on the spot and knows how to subtly change his spin and variations and pace and that sort of thing. I think just about every time he bowls the ball it's hitting the stumps, which is a big positive. I try to take a bit of that on board and try to do the same as that."

If Holland's passport was unready, he has at least got in his kitbag a handful of good relationships with Australian team-mates from days gone by, whether it be Under-19 tours or his Academy intake.

Most critical of all, he shares a good rapport with Steven Smith. Captain and spinner must stay close this week. "I've known Smithy since he was pretty young," Holland said. "I guess we have got a pretty good relationship, so, hopefully, he backs me in and looks after me."