SYDNEY: Cricket Australia (CA) announced on Thursday that fast bowler Brendan Doggett and top-order batter Jake Weatherald will both make their Test debuts in the Ashes opener against England, set to begin on November 21 in Perth. Stand-in captain Steve Smith confirmed that this will be the first time since the 2010-11 Sydney Test that Australia will hand out more than one debut in an Ashes match.
Doggett, the 31-year-old South Australian quick, has been drafted in as both Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood remain sidelined with injuries. Weatherald, representing Tasmania, will step in as Usman Khawaja’s seventh opening partner since Khawaja returned to the Test setup in 2022.
Smith, who will lead the side at Optus Stadium, also revealed that Marnus Labuschagne will return to his familiar No. 3 role. “When Marnus is at his best at number three, it strengthens our entire lineup,” Smith said during his pre-match press conference. He added that Labuschagne had done everything asked of him and had been in impressive touch for Queensland in both the Sheffield Shield and one-day competitions. “When he’s scoring runs like that, it’s hard to leave him out. Hopefully he brings that form straight into the Test series.”
Labuschagne’s selection means Tasmania all-rounder Beau Webster misses out, despite making an immediate impact after debuting against India last summer. “It’s a tough call on Beau,” Smith admitted. “He came into international cricket and made an instant impression.”
Addressing the absence of Cummins and Hazlewood, Smith said injuries are simply part of the sport, especially for fast bowlers who put heavy strain on their bodies. “It’s unfortunate to be without both of them, but it opens the door for Scotty Boland and Brendan Doggett. Brendan has toured with us before, he’s very skilful, and he’s come a long way in recent years. I’m looking forward to seeing how he goes.”
With Doggett joining Boland in the bowling attack, Australia will, for the first time, field a men’s Test XI featuring two Indigenous players.
Australia XI for first Test: Usman Khawaja, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Brendan Doggett, Scott Boland
