Usman Khawaja will open with David Warner in the fifth and final Ashes Test in Hobart but there is an injury cloud over Scott Boland, who impressed in Melbourne and Sydney.
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The Australian cricket team has done some changes to the side ahead of the fifth Ashes Test. Usman Khawaja, who hit two centuries in the fourth Test in Sydney, will open the batting along with David Warner. Marcus Harris, who has not had a good Ashes series so far, has been dropped from the side. Travis Head, who missed the Sydney Test due to coronavirus, has been added into the side and will bat at No.5. Thus, the batting order is more or less settled for Australia.
But, there is a big concern over Scott Boland. The Victorian pacer, who has impressed in the Melbourne and Sydney Tests, suffered a rib injury in the Sydney Test and could not bowl for some periods. Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon will all play but with Boland under an injury cloud, the likes of Jhye Richardson or Michael Neser might come in.
The Hobart Test will also be a Pink Ball Test. This is the first time that Hobart will host an Ashes Test. But, in the previous Pink Ball Test, Jhye Richardson was impressive with a maiden five-wicket haul. In this Test, if Boland is not fit, then Richardson could be the favorite to come back. Richardson missed the Melbourne Test because of a foot injury and that allowed Boland to make a sensational debut.
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In the pre-match press conference, Cummins gave an update on Boland. “He’ll give that a go. If he’s not in, then Jhye and Michael Neser are both fit. We’ll work that out. Jhye coming off a five-for in the pink ball (means) he’s probably the next one (in) but we’ll have that conversation when we need to. It’s a pretty tight turnaround between Tests. We think he (Boland) should be right but he’ll just have another bowl in the nets,” Cummins stated.
With Harris being dropped, there are question marks over his Test career. But, Cummins insisted that Harris was being considered for the tour of Pakistan. “It’s not too often that someone comes in and gets two hundreds in the same game. I thought Marcus has been really good, he’s been growing with each game. He was a huge part of why we won that MCG Test. He’s certainly part of the future, we’ll keep investing him,” Cummins said.
England narrowly avoided going 0-4 down as the last wicket pair of Stuart Broad and James Anderson hung in at Sydney.
