Australian Scott Boland shuts out the noise from former England players ahead of the Ashes

Scott Boland could be required to play in all five Ashes Tests this summer, a workload that will test his mental strength and physical endurance. But in the promotion leading up to the series, he’s already doing a lot of the heavy lifting.

The fast bowler and Gulidjan man launched a partnership for the National Indigenous Cricket Championships with Melbourne Cricket Club on Tuesday, but it was Commonwealth issues – and in particular a recent Stuart Broad sledge about what he believes is a weak Australian team – that was the focus of the media in attendance.

“All the past players will come out and give their opinion and they can do that,” the paceman said. “We’re just going to concentrate on playing our cricket.”

Boland has already had to fend off a metaphorical bounce from Mike Atherton last week. The former England captain said the Australian was a poor replacement for Pat Cummins, who will miss at least the first Test with a back problem.

But rather than having the motivation to prove his quality to England players past or present after the 2023 Ashes – when his two wickets reached more than 100 runs each – Boland said he considers himself a ‘proud cricketer’ and simply wants to live up to his own expectations.

“I’m not really supposed to show my skills against them,” he said. “It’s probably more: I believe in my skills, so I just want to put in a really good performance.”

Boland is likely to be a key player in the upcoming series starting in Perth on November 21 following Cummins’ back problems. Alongside Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood – who said this week he is prepared to play all five Tests – Boland will be a key part of the Australian attack.

The 36-year-old said on Tuesday that, like Hazlewood, he should be able to play all five Tests, especially considering there is more than a week’s break after the first two. “I’ve never had any serious injuries, but these little problems keep popping up and I think I’m getting better at dealing with them as I go,” he said.

Boland declined to join the Australian side’s competition for batting places but said Sam Konstas – who he dismissed for a duck in a Sheffield Shield match last week – is still “finding his feet” in first-class cricket. “He will find a way to get through it, you can see how talented he is,” Boland said.

Although Boland has yet to win selection for Australia, he admitted his thoughts had wandered to the first Test. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited about what’s going to happen this summer,” he said. “There’s nothing better than being part of the Australian squad for a testing summer like this.”