New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS) South Australia paceman Brendan Doggett believes his recent wicket-laden comeback could not have come at a better time, as Australia prepares to announce its Ashes squad for the upcoming series against England.

Doggett, who has been on the fringes of the national setup for the past year, made a statement on his return from a hamstring injury, taking seven wickets against Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield — including a sensational 6 for 48 in the first innings.

“It was obviously my first hit-out of the season with the red ball,” Doggett told reporters on Tuesday. “I guess the timing was perfect to take a six-for.”

The 31-year-old fast bowler first earned a Test call-up in 2018 for the series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, and most recently was included in the squad as cover for Josh Hazlewood during last year’s home series against India.

Doggett was also part of the World Test Championship final squad against South Africa in England earlier this year.

That selection followed a standout domestic season when he played a key role in South Australia’s first Sheffield Shield title since 1995-96, claiming 33 wickets at 24.15 and returning match figures of 11 for 140 — the best-ever figures in a Shield final.

Despite his recent success, Doggett revealed he has yet to hear from selectors ahead of the squad announcement for the first Ashes Test starting November 21.

“No word yet,” he said. “I have been waiting for this for a long time so I feel like if I do get a call to join that squad, I’ll be ready. We’ll see what happens.”

Doggett is well aware of the stiff competition for a fast-bowling berth in the current Australian setup, dominated by Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood — a trio he holds in the highest regard.

“We have got the best bowling attack in world cricket and we have done for a long time,” Doggett said. “So it’s just great for me to be able to share a changeroom with these world-class bowlers and watch how they go about it, how durable and professional they are.

“It’s great for Australian cricket — those guys have won pretty much every trophy you can win. So I can look at it and feel sorry for myself, or you can go, ‘well, what a time to be around these sort of guys’.

“They’re going to go down in history as the best to ever do it, so it’s pretty cool to be able to rub shoulders with them.”

–IANS

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