Holland has 'rival' spinner in raptures

It's a measure of just how well Jon Holland is bowling right now that the man he's keeping out of Victoria's Sheffield Shield side can't help but sing his praises.

Report & Highlights: Holland bags five in Hobart

Holland claimed 5-49 on the opening day of Victoria's Sheffield Shield clash against Tasmania on Monday, moving him to a competition-high of 25 wickets from four-and-a-half matches this season.

Having taken five wickets at 55 in his maiden Test series in Sri Lanka earlier this year, Holland has returned to Shield cricket in top form this summer, putting his name forward for Australia's Test tour of India early next year.

And even the man Holland is keeping out of the Bushrangers XI, legspinner Fawad Ahmed, is impressed.

Ahmed, the Shield's leading wicket-taker two seasons ago and a 2015 Ashes tourist, hasn't played Shield cricket since last season's final against South Australia, where Holland claimed eight wickets in a match-turning performance.

It was Ahmed who had kept Holland out of the Vics side for most of the past two seasons, as the Pakistan-born leggie moved to within inches of a Test debut in the Caribbean last year.

But not only has Ahmed now dropped out of Test contention, Holland's incredible recent form - he has taken 52 wickets at 19 in nine-and-a-half Shield matches since the start of the 2014-15 season - is keeping the legspinner out of the Bushrangers side as well.

And Holland's third career five-wicket haul on Monday, against a Tasmanian side that left out a frontline spinner and on a surface that gave up no wickets to spin in the second Commonwealth Bank Test last month, would seemingly continue Ahmed's stint out of the senior side.

Holland, who will turn 30 next May, side-stepped any talk about the Indian tour on Monday night with a casual "if that happens, it happens".

However, there's no doubt the nation's spinners have the lure of a possible Test call-up in front of them this summer.

But while Holland has done plenty to put his name forward, his left-arm spin rival from north of the Murray River, NSW's Steve O'Keefe, may still have the inside running.

Not only does O'Keefe's recent Shield record of 45 wickets at 20 from his past 10 matches stand up well compared to Holland's 52 at 19, the Blues spinner also has six wickets from two Tests this year, a bag of 10 for Australia in their tour game in Sri Lanka, plus 14 wickets at 20 on the Australia A tour of India last year.

And if the 31-year-old can stay on the park - he's been sidelined by separate hamstring, finger and calf injuries since July - he'll be hard to dislodge when the Aussies return to the subcontinent next year.

Indeed, the dusty conditions Australia are certain to be faced with in Pune, Bangalore, Ranchi and Dharamsala may see both left-armers picked alongside incumbent tweaker Nathan Lyon, while young legspinners Adam Zampa and Mitchell Swepson could represent the sort of "gut feel" selection that was spoken about following Australia's series defeat to South Africa.

"I'm pretty confident with the way things are going," Holland said of his recent form.

"I worked hard in the off-season on my bowling and to come out and get a few wickets is great.

"(Sri Lanka) was an opportunity for me to learn a few things and find some things that I had to work on in my game.

"I've worked hard on those things, I spoke to our coaches and other bowlers and I've been lucky to take a couple of wickets. Everything is going well."

Jon Holland's perfect 10
(Past 10 Sheffield Shield matches)

• 2014-15 v SA: 2-92, 0-15
• 2014-15 v Qld: 1-66, 2-67
• 2014-15 v Tas: 6-41, 2-27
• 2015-16 v NSW: 3-83, 3-48
• 2015-16 v SA: 3-86, 5-76
• 2016-17 v Tas: 1-56, 2-32
• 2016-17 v Qld: 4-32, 4-46
• 2016-17 v Vic: 2-58, 2-70
• 2016-17 v SA: 1-59, 4-25
• 2016-17 v Tas: 5-49, -

52 wickets at 19.76

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