The hosts would be without two of their prime pacers in Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood in the first Test.
It has very seldom been the case that two of Australia’s prime speedsters have been out of the same Test due to injury. However, that is bound to take place tomorrow when hosts Australia lock horns with arch-rivals England in the first Test of the Ashes 2025/26. Along with Scott Boland, who is always in the wings waiting for his turn, the Aussies have promised the Baggy Green to Brendan Doggett.
The 31-year-old pacer from South Australia has been a prolific bowler in the Sheffield Shield, and has totally earned his maiden call-up to the Australian side. That being said, the occasion just cannot get bigger. Making a debut in front of one’s home crowd against arch-rivals England in one of the most celebrated Test series in the world of sport – it had to be written in the stars for Brendan Doggett.
Stand-in skipper Steve Smith has a slight call to make when the hosts walk out on the field to bowl. The Australian batter refused to reveal who would open the bowling alongside Mitchell Starc, and that would now be anyone’s guess. However, former speedster Brett Lee has come up with a suggestion to Smith, stating that debutant Brendan Doggett must be handed the new ball alongside Starc.
The former pacer stated that handing him with the responsibilities of the new ball would help Doggett ease his nerves ahead of such a big clash. To add to that, Lee also stated that Scott Boland has performed wonderfully well as a first-change bowler, and can seam the ball on any deck. Therefore, starting with Doggett would make complete sense, as per Brett Lee.
“The thing with Scott Boland is that he can bowl anywhere: I reckon he’d get the ball to seam off ice, he’s so good”, said Lee about Scott Boland.
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If one goes through the stats of Brendan Doggett in the Sheffield Shield, it would be enough to understand the quality of the right-arm pacer. In 50 First-class matches so far, Doggett has scalped 190 wickets at an economy of 3.23. Moreover, he has registered 10 four-wicket hauls and nine five-wicket hauls till date. Considering these numbers, the 31-year-old was always going to make it to the Australian XI at some point.
On the other hand, Scott Boland has been a prolific performer for Australia as well, and has come on as the first-change bowler because of the presence of Josh Hazlewood in most Tests. To add to that, he too opens the bowling for his domestic side. But as Brett Lee mentioned, Boland can be a wonderful aspect later in the innings, when the ball starts seaming around.
Additionally, opening the bowling alongside Mitchell Starc, Doggett would be a lot more at ease as compared to coming on as the first-change. This way, Australia can maximise the amount of pressure on the England batters and can ensure that they are not let off the hook at any given point. The curator at the Optus stadium, Isaac McDonald has promised a pitch with pace and bounce, which will surely assist the fast bowlers.
McDonald mentioned that it would be important for the bowling team not to be too excited once they see the ball flying off the deck. He stressed that the ideal length on the wicket would be to target the top of off-stump, which would ensure that a bowler yields maximum productivity from the pitch. He mentioned the importance of striking the right balance between attacking and remaining patient.
“You’ve got to bowl a lot fuller, that five-metre length, over here in Perth. The teams that get excited when the ball flies through generally get punished, because nothing goes on to hit the stumps”, said the curator ahead of the first Ashes 2025/26 Test.
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