Ricky Ponting thinks that “fit” Hazlewood could beat “impressive” Boland in the Ashes. Australia is having trouble deciding who to pick.

Ricky Ponting, who used to be Australia’s captain, praised Scott Boland but thinks that if star fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is 100% healthy for the first Ashes Test, he would be back in the team right away. Hazlewood was taken out of Australia’s final team for the World Test Championship (WTC) because he didn’t get better in time. He was supposed to play in the final match against India, but his Achilles tendon injury flared up again, causing him to miss the match.

Scott Boland, on the other hand, is in great shape for the WTC final. Even though he got rid of Shubman Gill and KS Bharat in the first inning, Ricky Ponting preferred Hazlewood to Boland because Hazlewood has more experience.

“For me, nothing changes. “If Hazlewood is fit and they are sure he can play the whole game, I think he’ll start, but if he can’t, you have a pretty good back-up,” Ponting was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

“Scotty (Scott Boland) is amazing. Josh’s history of injuries over the last few years could be something the pickers are thinking about. When you think about it, the way Scotty is bowling makes it pretty clear that he should be in their starting lineup for the first Test. Looking ahead, though, with five Test matches in six weeks, I don’t think we can expect either bowling group to get through [fully]. Both teams will probably have to rest a little here and there during the series,” the former bowler said.

Ricky Ponting thinks Cummins should play in all six of England’s Tests.

Australia’s captain, Pat Cummins, had said before that he wanted all six Test matches to be played in England. After the WTC final, Australia will play England in a five-match Test series, so it will be interesting to see how the bowlers handle their health. Ponting said the same thing about Cummins, saying that he could play all the games if Cameron Green helped him out in the middle.

“It would have been less likely in past series where there wasn’t a world-class allrounder to throw the ball to for 15 overs or an innings,” he said. “But I think the captain can get through if Pat manages himself well enough and Green is there to help,” Ponting said.