Have Australia dropped a big hint that Scott Boland won’t be picked for the first Ashes Test?

Aussies hoping to see in-form bowler Scott Boland thundering in against England in the first Test of The Ashes tonight [AEST] might be disappointed, with early signs indicating he will be the pace bowler to miss out.

Australia faces a selection quandary for the opening Test at Edgbaston, with Pat Cummins certain to play along with allrounder Cameron Green, leaving just two spots for Boland, Mitch Starc and the returning Josh Hazlewood.

Now it has been reported that Boland has been relegated to drinks duty in the final preparations with Hazlewood set to make his return after a long injury layoff from cricket. 

‘More discussions between Pat Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald on a day Scott Boland walked around the nets handing out water bottles to the coaching staff & walked away in the company of the physio. Intrigue, more intrigue,’ Cricbuzz has reported on Twitter.

Boland and Nathan Lyon with their winners medals after Australia defeated India in the World Test Championship. Boland replaced the recovering Hazlewood in that match

Despite taking 6/7 on debut and another seven wickets in the WTC final, Boland could miss out on the opening Ashes match to accommodate the return of Hazlewood

Cummins recently described Boland as ‘my favourite player’ and experts predict it is only a matter of when, not if, he is picked during this Ashes series.

‘He offers something slightly different to Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc being a left hander is bit different,’ Cummins said. 

The Victorian Sheffield Shield veteran burst onto the scene in the Boxing Day Test in the 2021/22 edition of The Ashes in Australia, demolishing the old enemy with figures of 6/7.

He boasts an average of just 14.57 and economy rate of 2.31, plus he lined up in the World Test Championship final against India where he took 2/59 and 3/46 in place of the injured Hazlewood.

Former Test skipper Steve Waugh has also backed Boland to dominate in this Ashes series.

‘Boland is a great Test-match bowler. He can be the most successful of our attack in this Ashes series,’ Waugh said.

‘I just love the way he bowls. He is always at the batsman and hits the pitch really hard.’

It has been a long six months for Hazlewood who suffered an Achilles injury and then a side strain that kept him out of the WTC final

Hazlewood has returned to bowling in the nets and is expected to make his long-awaited Test cricket return in the first Ashes test

Hazlewood had admitted he would be disappointed at being excluded from the opening Ashes Test.

Recovering from a side strain that has kept him out since the Sydney Test earlier this year, Hazlewood also admitted he would only likely play in three or four of the five Tests. 

 Boland will continue to press for selection, even if it is not the first Test.

‘My job is to keep performing, keep making the selectors’ job hard,’ Boland said. ‘

I’m loving my time in the team. I know at some stage I’m going to play during the Ashes, if it it’s not the first Test, then it’s not the first Test.’