Perth, Nov 16 (IANS) Former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie said pacer Brendan Doggett is fully ready to step in if selected in the playing eleven for the first Ashes Test against England, starting on November 21 in Perth.

With Josh Hazlewood ruled out of the first Test due to a hamstring injury, Doggett, 31, is in line to become Australia’s 472nd Test cricketer. A Test debut in Perth will also make Doggett just the third Indigenous Australian to play Test cricket after Gillespie and Scott Boland.

“He’s one of the quicker bowlers in Australia. Got a good motor, he’s a greyhound and is as fit as a fiddle. He’s ready to go. England will sniff an opportunity (without Cummins and Hazlewood), but I’m confident the Australian seam attack is good enough to get the job done,” said Gillespie on ABC Radio on Sunday.

Doggett’s rise has been anything but conventional. He never featured in a representative side until his 20s, eventually making his domestic debut for the former CA XI in the one-day cup in October 2016.

He first earned a call-up to an Australian squad for the Tests against Pakistan in 2018, just months after the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa happened. Though injuries stalled his progress, Doggett’s move to South Australia in 2021 to spearhead their attack has since paid dividends.

In the previous domestic season, Doggett played a key role in South Australia’s first Sheffield Shield title win since 1995/96 – claiming 33 wickets at an average of 24.15, including match figures of 11-140 – the best-ever figures for a bowler in a Shield final.

“His path to a potential Baggy Green is not a common one in the modern game. It just shows the value of our local competitions, plying away and working on your craft,” added Gillespie.

Following the Ashes opening game in Perth, the second Test will be a day-night encounter, to be played from December 4-8 in Brisbane. Adelaide will host the third Test from December 17-21, before the traditional Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground is held from December 26-30. The Ashes will conclude with the fifth and final Test set to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 4-8, 2026.

–IANS

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