When Jon Holland walks out with the Australian Test team on Thursday to tackle Sri Lanka, he will be making his international debut seven years late.
The 29-year-old has long been earmarked for national duty, but held back by injuries.
In 2009, the left-arm spinner was 22 years old and only 12 months into his professional cricket career when he was called into the Australian ODI squad for their seven-match tour of India.
Given the spin-friendly nature of Indian pitches, and the fact Nathan Hauritz was the only other specialist tweaker in this group, Holland was expected to play at least one game.
Instead, he sat on the sidelines as the back-to-back-to-back World Cup champions cruised to a 4-2 series victory, with rain washing out the seventh match, in which he was scheduled to play.
Regardless, Holland was not expected to have to wait long for his chance at international cricket as arguably the most talented young spinner in the country.
But things did not go to plan. For the past seven years he has been buffeted by injuries, a rather unusual problem for a finger spinner in their 20s.
Four years ago, Holland again looked on the fast track to international selection. Australian chairman of selectors John Inverarity labelled him one of the best two spinners in the nation, alongside incumbent Test tweaker Nathan Lyon.
Just months earlier, Holland had starred for Australia A on their 2012 tour of England. He was the squad’s leading wicket taker, despite being part of a star-studded bowling unit which included Lyon, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Jackson Bird and Nathan Coulter-Nile.
Lyon was yet to bed down his spot in the Test line-up and Inverarity’s generous praise of Holland suggested he was on the verge of usurping the off spinner. Yet, just a week after Inverarity made those comments, Holland’s career again was derailed by injury.
He hurt his bowling shoulder while fielding in a club game and required a reconstruction, which ruled him out of the whole Australian summer.
By the time Holland returned, for the 2013-14 season, Pakistan-born leggie Fawad Ahmed had become Victoria’s number one red-ball spinner. Ahmed had debuted for the Bushrangers while Holland was injured, taking 16 wickets from his three Shield games in the 2012-13 season.
Since coming back from that shoulder reconstruction, Holland’s Shield appearances have been limited, partly due to the presence of Ahmed and partly because of further injuries. But he proved a point when he got a rare chance to bowl alongside Ahmed in the Shield final four months ago.
Holland comprehensively outperformed his teammate, showcasing the deceptive flight and great control that long had excited the national selectors, as he helped bowl Victoria to victory with eight wickets. What made that haul even more significant was that it contained no cheapies – each wicket was of a top-seven batsman.
That performance helped him leapfrog Ahmed, who was Australia’s back-up spinner on the Test tours of England and the Caribbean last year. It was also stirring enough for Holland to overcome the hype that has steadily built around 24-year-old leggie Adam Zampa.
Holland looks to be a good selection for Galle, where the spin-friendly surface rewards tweakers who can land the ball on the same spot over and over. This is why ultra-accurate Sri Lankan tweaker Rangana Herath has been so successful, with 78 wickets from his 14 Tests at the ground. Galle offers enough help to the slow bowlers that they need not get huge revs on the ball to be effective.
Holland’s biggest strength is his consistency. Similar to Herath and the injured Steve O’Keefe, he does not have a bag of tricks or turn the ball at right angles. Rather, he looks to create pressure by offering very few release balls. This frugality bore fruit in the Shield final, as Holland delivered twice as many maidens as any other bowler in the match.
Australia will hope that he can offer them the control that they lacked in the second half of Sri Lanka’s second innings at Kandy, when the hosts ran away with the match.
It’s been a long time coming, but finally Holland’s chance has arrived.
Marshall
Guest
I think that's got more to do bowling to a batting order of Sehwag Laxman, Dravid, Tendulker and Ganguly in their home conditions....
eski
Guest
No point in trying to point together a genuine point when replying to a troll
Joel
Roar Rookie
"Blind Freddie can see that a man who spins the ball both ways and gets extra turn with his wrist action is going to be more use on a turning dusty deck than the plain old finger spinner" That's not necessarily true. Look at Warney's record in India.
Matth
Guest
Zampa is still a baby and his first class record is poor
Simoc
Guest
Yes all those golfers and tennis players pulled out of Rio, stating the possibility of catching the Zika virus. The gold medal rates well below a major in golf and tennis careers. Maybe you could name these sportswoman that pulled out, but I doubt it. For sure absolutely no-one cares that they won't be there.
danno
Guest
And gets more grip and turn than Xavier Doherty. Plus, can he bat & field like SOK, otherwise the tail will be very long.
Adsa
Guest
Brian If we don't mention Bryce's test, then after a while, it will almost be, as if it never happened.
BurgyGreen
Guest
It's very tough on Fawad, who has kept Holland out of the Victorian side. I can see why the selectors would be after some control though, as Lyon was indifferent in the third innings of the first Test. When the pitch is spinning you don't need magic legspin. An accurate finger spinner will get enough natural variation off the pitch to be dangerous and at the same time will likely be more accurate and create more pressure than the typical leggie. So overall I think this is a fair call from the selectors, and I look forward to seeing Holland bowl (hopefully not until late on Day 2 at the earliest though!).
Annoyedofit
Guest
Oh the irony. You lot complained about the cold in England and blamed it for losing the series. Not very self aware eh?
Alex L
Roar Rookie
SOK did a fine job until his injury, and Holland comes in with some decent first class form, plus he can actually field while Ahmed runs in the field like he was born with his feet facing the wrong way.
Lancey5times
Guest
I think our first inning bowling display with SOK fit proved that a like for like replacement is the way to go. Have you forgotten that we rolled the Lankens for a hundred odd? Yes the second innings was a struggle for the bowlers but do not underestimate the balance SOK would have given if fit.
Eski
Guest
U do realise Australia aren't the only people being negative about the olympics Brazil's own soccer great rivaldo came out and advised people to not go to the olympics A kiwi sportsman has put numerous things on social media about his experiences of rio Numerous sportsmen and women have pulled out from around the world But hey they aren't Australian so it doesn't suit the Australian bashing point of view so won't be mentioned
Brian
Guest
Lets hope he does better then Bryce McGain
Annoyedofit
Guest
Just like SL blamed the cold when they lost in England then?
Jag Vithanage
Guest
It is well known fact that Aussies are "bad losers". Every time they win, no complain but one match lose will open up loads of whinges. Just listen what they have to say about the Rio Olympic venue. All what they see is negative side of other sporting countries.
Tanmoy Kar
Guest
Hope Holland will play his role very well & will not get injured again. Adam Zampa also should have been included in the team for selection of final XI.
Rowan JAY
Guest
Terms like dust bowls and turning dusty decks are words used by Australians when they lose. Did Kandy look like a dust bowl to anyone? Not to Stuart Law nor Nathan Lyon....who said its 'like concrete' and that there are 'no demons' respectively! Raging green tops like the Gabba and Edgebaston are not any more 'legitimate' than a lower slower wicket the Australians get to play, just because they cannot play spin bowling! The wickets on the sub-continent in the last 10 - 15 years have not been the wickets that visiting teams talked about in 60's and 70's, particularly in India.
Rowan JAY
Guest
SL is a real possibility of trying to 'trash' the Australians from the get go. They have done that (and failed) in the past, immediately after a big game where they have done well. In fact the Aussies have their best chance of winning in Galle....even more than Colombo when SL will gather themselves in a more sober fashion. It took one poor start to ditch the openers and put in a dasher (Kusal P) to open in the 2nd innings....it doesn't take long for SL to switch to vaudeville! Australia needs a Voges and Shaun Marsh to play two long boring innings (not difficult for them) and one fast bowler and one spinner to have a good game. Galle isn't the raging turner it once was and on Day 3 and 4 some big 100's have been scored by the Pakistani veterans and Dinesh Chandimal in the last few years. Also, Dale Steyn got heaps of wickets and won the Galle test a few years back so being obsessed by Hearths record there is unwise. For Sri Lanka, taking a chill pill and doing the basics right with both bat and ball is the secret.....management of heads and minds rather than skills is the challenge for the coaching staff. Since Sri Lanka got test status, batting with flair rather than intent has been the driving force (mindset), Kumar Sangakkara being the exception. Good luck Sri Lanka....the Aussies will come back hard as everyone says but different ways than you would think!!
craig swanson
Guest
What is this obsession by "red wine" Rod and Boof of picking finger spinners over wristies for sub continental tours. Blind Freddie can see that a man who spins the ball both ways and gets extra turn with his wrist action is going to be more use on a turning dusty deck than the plain old finger spinner (unless you are Ragana Herath). When SOK went down with injury these two went straight to a like for like replacement in Jon Holland instead of "the oh so close to a baggy green but always misses'' Vic leggie Fawad Ahmed whose ceredentials are far greater than his left arm team mate.
JamesH
Roar Guru
"...with 78 wickets from his 14 Tests at the ground." Well, that bodes well. Holland will need to perform, because we'll have to keep Sri Lanka under 200 in each innings.