Brendan Doggett Gears Up for Long-Awaited Perth Test Debut

Brendan Doggett is all set to make his debut in the first test of the upcoming Ashes series. He is excited to feature in the Perth test that is expected to be dominated by pace bowlers. The experienced Queensland star was recently added to the squad as a replacement bowler for Pat Cummins, who is not taking part in the first test. This defines the fact that a big opportunity for Doggett is coming up in which he needs to make a strong mark.

The recent injury to Josh Hazlewood has increased Doggett’s chances of playing in the first Ashes Test. Hazlewood suffered a hamstring injury while training in Sydney, giving Doggett an opportunity to prove his credentials at the international level.

When Brendan Doggett was playing a Shield match for South Australia recently, Travis Head came to him in the dressing room to give an update about the injury of Josh Hazlewood. It immediately made Doggett realize that the team management might include him in the Playing XI in place of Hazlewood.

"When Heady told me, of course your brain's going a million miles an hour, and you're sort of thinking what might happen." said Brendan Doggett while talking to the reporters.

The Queensland bowlers understand that filling the shoes of Pat Cummins or Josh Hazlewood is no easy task. Over the years, these two have been the mainstays of the Australian bowling lineup across formats, so replacing them in the all-important Ashes will come with high expectations.

"I probably don't take as many wickets as them. They're tall quicks. They get a lot of bounce. I'm obviously just a little bit skiddier, but try and move the ball off the wicket both ways and try to swing the ball away from a right-hander.” said Brendan Doggett.

"I try and emulate them as much as I can. Hopefully a little bit of a point of difference for me might help. But we'll wait and see." added Brendan Doggett.

During the last 18 months, Brendan Doggett has performed exceptionally well in Shield cricket. He picked up 63 wickets at an average of 20.12 in the last 13 domestic matches. This defines the fact that why Australian selectors picked him for the blockbuster series when their main pacers got injured. Due to these numbers, Doggett is also confident to make a strong debut in the upcoming Ashes test at Perth.

"I don't know how ready you can be for Test cricket, I guess. But the last 18 months to two years for me has easily been the most successful I've been in terms of numbers, but also just confidence in my body, confidence in my game." said Brendan Doggett.

Scott Boland Confident in Aussie Bowling Depth

Scott Boland is yet another pacer who could feature for Australia in the first Ashes test. He said that missing Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood is not ideal for the team, but their backup pace attack is still strong enough to challenge England in Perth.

"Obviously you don't want to be missing two great players like Josh and Pat," Boland said on Monday. "But I think our bowling stocks have been really strong for quite a while, but no one's been able to break in with the resilience, with Starcy, Pat, Josh and myself.” said Scott Boland.

"It's going to be exciting time, because a new guy or two will get a look in. But they're not inexperienced guys. Like Brendan's coming in. He's 31 years old. He's played a lot of first-class cricket.” added Scott Boland.

Speaking more about Brendan Doggett, Boland said that he is a skillful bowler with a lot of domestic cricket experience. He added that Doggett can bowl long spells in matches, which is a significant advantage for the Australian team.

"I think he brings real skill. He's a fast outswing bowler, and he's someone who can bowl really long spells. Bowls a lot of overs when he's playing for South Australia. He's someone who's tremendously fit, and if he gets the nod it'll be exciting to see him play." said Scott Boland.

The first Ashes test is scheduled to start in Perth on November 21, and Brendan Doggett is all set to appear in it. It would be interesting to see how he performs in this match, because his raw pace can bring plenty of challenges for the England team.