London, Jun 6 (PTI) Australian captain Pat Cummins sees fellow quick Scott Boland making a huge difference in the World Test Championship final against India as he tends to take his game to the next level in seaming conditions.

If conditions remain overcast like they have been over the past couple of days, Australian pace troika of Cummins, Boland and Mitchell Starc can make a decisive difference in the game. Ahead of the title contest, Cummins announced that Boland will play in place of Josh Hazlewood, who is not fully fit for the game.

“Hopefully huge. These conditions just seem to suit him, you’d think. He hasn’t played a lot over here, but a seam bowler who will be rewarded for just bowling in the good areas over and over again,” Cummins said on Tuesday when asked about Boland, who has taken 28 wickets in seven Tests and was among the stars of the team’s Ashes triumph in 2021.

“That’s what he brings to the team. He’s been fantastic. Even in India, he played the first Test match there on a pretty docile wicket and still did a fantastic job. He’s a seasoned pro. If there’s any assistance in the wicket as well, he just goes to that next level.” Cummins said he is looking forward to bowling with the Dukes ball.

“The weather’s been pretty nice all this week and it looks pretty good this week so a bit of a cloudy morning today, but anytime there’s a bit of grass on the wicket the Dukes Ball with some overheads, pretty fun for the quick bowlers.” ‘Hope experience of winning finals help’ ======================== India are yet to win an ICC trophy since 2013 but Australia did that two years ago by lifting the T20 World Cup trophy in 2021. Will that work in Australia’s favour? “You know, one thing about playing lots of cricket is you get experience in pressure moments and finals, you know, there’s no higher pressure situation. So again, that’s one of the benefits of having an experienced side.

“We’ve seen it all before. We’ve been in these moments and, have taken the confidence to know that no matter what happens, you’re going to be okay on the other side of it and just take the game on, enjoy it and yeah, I think that’s what you’ll see from our group this week.” ‘Cameron Green is a luxury to have’ ====================== He also spoke glowingly of all-rounder Cameron Green, who has grown by leaps and bounds in the last couple of years.

“He’s fantastic, Greeny. You know last Test match he played, he scored his first hundred. He took a few Test matches before that, he just keeps growing and growing. Just a real luxury to have as a captain in the side as well. A fifth bowling option to bowl as many overs as we need really, can take wickets. So yeah, you’re right, you know, you’ve seen Ben Stokes, what he’s done with England over the years, having that key all-rounder who’s in your top six can make a big difference at times.” ‘Happy with preparation despite no warm up games’ ================================ Both India and Australia did not have the time to play a warm up game for the final but Cummins is happy with his team’s preparation.

“You know, we’ve been really happy with our prep in terms of centre wicket practice. I think we’ve all played kind of warm up games before, that have been awesome and we’ve also played warm up games before that the quality might have been sub-par or certain players don’t get as much out of it as others. So, to have that kind of individual-tailored prep, we’ve been really happy,” he added.

Source: PTI News