Scott Boland refused to hide his disappointment about the Sheffield Shield final being booted off the MCG, as the venue prepares to welcome the AFL from next week.
The summer of cricket is nearing its end, with Victoria set to host the Shield final that is scheduled to take place at the end of the month.
Victoria are looking to claim their first title since the 2018-19 season, although that match will not be on the hallowed turf at the MCG.
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The AFL‘s Opening Round will take place this weekend and while there is a game in Melbourne on Sunday, it will be played at Marvel Stadium. Footy will return to the MCG the following week.
Carlton and Richmond will be the first to take to the field at the MCG this season, with their match scheduled to take place on Thursday. Matches will then be played every day at the venue for the rest of round one.
With the AFL schedule already locked in, the cricket has consequently been pushed away from using the venue, much to Test bowler Boland’s discontent.
Scott Boland speaks to media at the MCG. Nine
“It doesn’t feel like footy season yet,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“Especially for us, we still have three really important games to go.
“We want to spend as much time here playing cricket for Australia or Victoria as we can.
“I think I am ready to watch the footy on TV, but it would be nice if we were still out there playing.”
A similar situation unfolded last year in South Australia when Adelaide Oval was denied as a host venue for the final due to the turf needing to be ready for the AFL season.
In the end, the final was played on Karen Rolton Oval.
It is unclear where exactly Cricket Victoria will host the final in 2026.
Despite the venue location being in limbo, Boland is excited to be back with his Victorian teammates and is ready to battle in the final once again.
Scott Boland celebrates the wicket of Teague Wylllie of Western Australia. Getty
Boland took eight wickets in the side’s victory over Western Australia last week, in what ensured Victoria would receive the hosting rights for the final with two games to spare.
The 36-year-old will not play in Victoria’s second-to-last game against Tasmania this week, although he has confirmed he will participate in the South Australia clash.
He will then return to the team for the final.
“That is still enough cricket for me coming up over the next few weeks,” Boland said.
He added: “I got to the end of the Ashes and then had a little break. I was happy last week to come back in.
“I felt like I hadn’t missed too much, even though I had five or six weeks between games. I was just happy to come in and bowl really well.
“On the other side of that, we played a really good game as a team – probably our best or most complete game for the season which has got us into the Shield final.
“Two games to go, we need to keep winning and keep our good form going, because we pretty much play the whole year to be in the final.
“A lot of guys in our team haven’t played in one before so it is going to be a good few weeks coming up I reckon.”
The Sheffield Shield final will take place from March 26.