I know at some stage I’m going to play during the Ashes: Boland

Scott Boland is Pat Cummins' favourite cricketer, and has had quite a start to his Test career. 33 wickets in eight Tests at an average of 14.57 and a strike rate of 37.8 - those numbers are as good as it can get. 

If that wasn’t enough, Boland also emerged as Australia's best bowler in their 209-run win over India in the World Test Championship final at The Oval, picking up five wickets across two innings. However, that still might not be enough to guarantee him a spot in Australia’s playing XI for the first Ashes Test.

With Josh Hazlewood unavailable for the final, Australia went with the pace trio of Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Boland. While the latter had a memorable Test, the other two were wayward. But with Hazlewood set to return for the opening Ashes Test at Edgbaston, Australia will have to pick two out of Boland, Hazlewood and Starc.

"I don’t know. My job is to keep performing, keep making the selectors’ job hard. 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,” said Boland when asked about his selection chances, as quoted by Cricket.com.au.

In the WTC final, Boland was the only pacer from both sides to operate at an economy of less than three. The 34-year-old even dismissed the likes of Shubman Gill (twice), Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and KS Bharat.

"He’s one of the most accurate, consistent bowlers I’ve ever seen," Labuschagne wrote in his newsletter. "Ball after ball, he hits the right line and length and gives you nothing as a batter.

"It creates a lot of pressure and forces batters to play at balls they’d normally leave, in an effort to get off strike and get the scoreboard moving. That’s exactly what happened with Virat in the second innings.

"Scott was hitting a very tight channel for a few overs, and then had the skill to push that delivery a few inches wider than the previous deliveries and got the edge. It’s fantastic to watch."

Boland even started over Starc in the second innings. Talking about his role, the right-arm seamer said: “If I can keep the scoreboard going nowhere it makes the job easier for the bowler at the other end."

"Bowling on the MCG for so long, I’ve always felt that as soon as I try to chase wickets I go for runs, so I just try and keep my game plan as simple as I can. As soon as I stray from that I want to go back into it as soon as I can.

"I think it fits in well with the team that if I can play my role in controlling the run rate then it makes Lyon’s job easier, it makes Pat’s job easier."

Former Australian captain Allan Border also wants Boland to retain his place. “Boland has to stay. He was threatening all the time against India. It was just like Terry Alderman and Terry was just phenomenal in England. They are both the perfect pace for English conditions in the way they kiss the wicket,” Border told News Corp.

“Boland’s style of bowling and his general accuracy makes him the prototype English bowler. In those conditions, Boland is just about first picked. They have to keep the same team that beat India.”