Boland believes enforced injury break will help him prepare for Border-Gavaskar trophy

New Delhi, Aug 10 (IANS) Australian pacer Scott Boland had eagerly anticipated his maiden county stint with Durham earlier this year. After watching Australia’s pace trio – Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc – march through seven consecutive Tests unscathed, Boland’s excitement to test his skills in English conditions was palpable. However, his county stint, which was meant to last four months, ended abruptly on the very first day, with an injury that might have dashed his immediate hopes but could also, in hindsight, serve as a catalyst for long-term success.Boland arrived at Durham more than a week before his first match, allowing ample time to acclimatise to northern England’s chilly early-season conditions. His bowling sessions went smoothly, convincing him that the knee and heel pain he had developed during Victoria’s final Sheffield Shield match of the season were behind him. This pain, born out of a rigorous new gym routine designed to boost his explosiveness for a handful of games in the Big Bash League, had seemed under control.However, during Durham’s match at Edgbaston – on the same ground where Boland had played a pivotal role in securing an Ashes victory for Australia the previous year – the pain returned with a vengeance.At tea on the first day, with Warwickshire already amassing 346/1 on a pancake-flat pitch, Boland stood up and realised he could hardly walk.“I got back up, hobbled out onto the ground, and I knew I was in trouble,” the 35-year-old said to