England’s Scott Borland vs Josh Hazelewood: Who’s prioritizing the WTC 2025 Final?
The world of cricket is ready ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2025 The time of the Lord Australia I find myself in a jealous but complicated situation: choose the right paced attack for the one-off final of the challenge England cOn-dition.
Australia faces pace puzzles ahead of the WTC 2025 final against South Africa
Australia is looking for a suitable third sailor to complement Pat Cummins and Mitchell Stark With a fast bowling attack. Cummins leads the team with his distinctive offense, and STARC offers left-arm variation and pace, but the real argument is in between Josh Hezlewood and Scott Boland. Both are excellent red ball bowlers with contrasting profiles. Hazlewood brings you classic test match skills and proven credentials in English terms with years of experience. But Borland has emerged in recent years as a relentless, precise force, especially in the 2023 WTC final, and among the ashes of the soil in the home. With conditions where the main condition is expected to provide assistance for seam movement and fast bowling, Australia now needs to decide whether to stick to the experience or to stick to the current form.
Josh Hazlewood brings rich experience and strong record in the UK
Hazlewood has been the mainstay of Australia’s paced attack for nearly a decade. With a test of 72 under his belt and a wicket of 279 on an excellent average of 24.57, Hazlewood offers a kind of control, discipline, and seam bowling expertise that thrives on the English terms. His upright seam position and ability to maintain probing lines make him a handful of useful environments. More importantly, Hazellewood has a proven track record at Roads, performing three tests on the iconic ground, filming 13 wickets at 26.15. In the UK’s 13 Tests, he scuded 52 wickets at 26.07. This is evidence of adaptability and proficiency in Dukes Ball’s conditions. Despite battling injuries over the past few years, Hazlewood’s class and pressure game consistency, like his powerful show in Ashes in 2019, makes him an attractive choice for the finals. If Australia chooses friendliness and experience, Hazlewood is a safer and established choice.
Hazlewood Test Statistics | whole | In the UK | With the Lord’s |
---|---|---|---|
Matches played | 72 | 13 | 3 |
The wicket filmed | 279 | 52 | 13 |
Bowling average | 24.57 | 26.07 | 26.15 |
Best Bowling in the Innings | 6/67 | 5/30 | 5/30 |
5 wicket haar | 12 | 2 | 1 |
Strike rate | 53 | 59 | 60.9 |
Read again: WTC 2025 Final: Mark Taylor faints in opening choice for Australia XI against South Africa
Scott Borland offers incredible form, control and strike power
Borland redefines the success story of late Bloomer in Australian cricket. Since his Test debut in 2021, Borland has scored 56 wickets in just 13 games on an astounding average of 17.66 and 38 strike ratings. Shubman Gill and Virat Kohlicemented his reputation as a big-name bowler. His ability to extract unshakable uncontrolled shaking and subtle movements makes him a consistent wicket taker. However, Borland’s performance in the UK has been overwhelming up to now. In three tests on English soil, he averaged 48.00 and shot 7 wickets and 71.1 strike rates, well below career standards. In particular, he has not played with Lord’s Man in the Lord’s Test, which was excluded during the Ashes Test in 2023. Borland’s recent performance under the shape and pressure is notable, but his lack of success in England leaves a gap in his otherwise stellar resume.
Borland’s test statistics | whole | In the UK | WTC Final 2023 |
---|---|---|---|
Matches played | 13 | 3 | 1 |
The wicket filmed | 56 | 7 | 5 |
Bowling average | 17.66 | 48.00 | 13.50 (approx.) |
Best Bowling in the Innings | 6/7 | 3/46 | 3/46 |
Strike rate | 38 | 71.1 | 31.2 |
Economic Rate | 2.77 | 4.04 | 2.5 (approx.) |
5 wicket haar | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Direct comparison
Comparing both bowlers side by side gives a sharper contrast. Hazellwood is especially the main one, and has a long-achieved test career with proven success in the UK. His 12 five-wicket hauling and consistent ashes performance make him a pillar of experience. Meanwhile, Borland has a much better average and strike rate, but smaller sample sizes. He wasn’t playing for Roads and his Test match in England had no impact. However, the selector cannot overlook his ability to stand up on big opportunities, like WTC Final Ash or Home Ash. Both bowlers maintain an identical economic rate of 2.77, suggesting that they are both control merchants. The real gap lies in experience and lowest attitude. Veteran campaigner Hazlewood and Borland of Borlerform.
metric | Josh Hezlewood | Scott Boland |
---|---|---|
The wicket filmed | 279 | 56 |
Bowling average | 24.57 | 17.66 |
Strike rate | 53 | 38 |
Economic Rate | 2.77 | 2.77 |
5 wicket haar | 12 | 1 |
Testing in the UK | 13 (52 wickets) | 3 (7 wickets) |
The average in the UK | 26.07 | 48.00 |
The Lord’s Experience | 3 Tests (13Wkts) | 0 Test |
WTC Final 2023 | Didn’t play | I played and bowled well |
Read again: Josh Hazlewood or Scott Boland? Ricky Ponting Picks Australia’s WTC Final 2025 vs South Africa’s XI