Brendan Doggett will become the 472nd player to debut for Australia in Tests when he features in the opening Ashes Test at Perth Stadium on Friday.
Doggett gets his opportunity after regularly being part of the Test set-up in recent times: first when India toured Australia last year, and as a reserve player in the squad for the World Test Championship final against South Africa in June.
The right-arm fast-medium bowler made his first-class debut in October 2017 and has since played 50 matches, taking 190 wickets at a healthy average of 26.5.
He made his first-class debut for Queensland, featuring in four Sheffield Shield seasons, before moving to South Australia at the start of the 2021-22 season.
Since moving to South Australia, his numbers have improved with 110 wickets at an average of 24.5 compared to his 56 wickets at 30.8 playing for Queensland.
Doggett’s recent form for South Australia has played a big part in his inclusion in the Test set-up.
In Sheffield Shield matches since the start of the 2023-24 season, he has taken 78 wickets in 15 matches at 21.7 and with a strike-rate of 38.1.
Of the 18 bowlers with 50+ wickets in the Sheffield Shield in this timeline, only Scott Boland (37.5) has a better strike-rate than Doggett.
The majority of the England players in the touring Ashes squad haven’t faced Doggett in any form of professional cricket.
Jacob Bethell and Josh Tongue have previously faced him on one occasion each, the former in a Big Bash League (BBL) game in January 2025 and the latter in an England Lions v Australia A first-class match a month later.
In matches featuring Doggett with ball-tracking data in our database, albeit all from T20s in the (BBL), he has operated generally in the 84-86mph range.
In the BBL, he’s got a good record bowling slightly short of a good length, averaging 20 at a strike-rate of 15 with deliveries in the 8-9m range.
On this Perth Stadium pitch with the extra pace and bounce, it’ll be interesting to see Doggett’s returns with the red ball.
