'His skill set has always been at the top in my eyes' - Nathan Lyon expects great things from Scott Boland ahead of Adelaide Test

Victoria's Scott Boland is likely to make his return to the Australian red-ball starting eleven after the unfortunate injury to Test skipper Pat Cummins during the first Test against the West Indies in Perth. Boland wreaked havoc against England at the MCG last year, and Australian spinning ace Nathan Lyon is expecting a similar output from the 33-year-old in Adelaide.

Nathan Lyon feels that the Adelaide pitch, the venue for the upcoming pink-ball Test match, is very similar to the one in Melbourne and will assist Scott Boland. The Australian quick ended last year's Ashes with 18 wickets to his name in just three outings and will be hoping to replicate the same form if selected for the second Test in Adelaide.

"That wicket last year was pretty similar to an Adelaide wicket. It's probably the closest a drop-in MCG wicket has been. So I am expecting pretty similar things if Scott gets the opportunity with the pink ball. I don't think many things will change. His confidence is up and so it should be. His skill set has always been at the top in my eyes. He hits me in the pad for fun when I play him in state cricket. But what I see in Scott now is his confidence level has gone up a little," Nathan Lyon said to The West Australian.

The Australian team won the series opener comprehensively in Perth and have added fast bowling sensation Lance Morris and Michael Neser to the squad in a bid to bolster their fast bowling department after Pat Cummins's injury. Lyon praised the rapid Lance Morris for his exploits in the domestic circuit and hopes for great things from him in the future.

"I played against (Morris) a couple of weeks ago and he bowls fast. He has every chance of playing as well. His skill set is up there with the best. It's all about him having this opportunity to learn," Lyon added.