Scott Boland's withering spell for Victoria has fuelled his belief he is better equipped to cope with the highs and lows of Test cricket.

Boland showed he is on track for the first Ashes Test by taking five wickets last Friday in a match-winning Sheffield Shield spell against NSW.

The paceman had been struggling to find his groove earlier in the match, but importantly kept his head in the contest.

A minor change to his run-up helped Boland to rediscover his bowling sweet spot and he rifled through the NSW tail. Loading Twitter content

"It's definitely a stepping stone (for) where I want to get to," Boland said on Tuesday.

"There are only tiny little things I need to clean up in my run-up and action. That gives me confidence if I'm not quite at my best, I can still find it during a

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