Scott Boland and Brendan Doggett have both been named for their Ashes debut in the first Test, while Jake Weatherald is also set to receive his Test cap.
Scott Boland will steam in from one end, Brendan Doggett from the other. A historic moment is about to unfold in Australian cricket. The country’s Indigenous communities will watch with pride as, for the first time in nearly 150 years of Test history, two Indigenous players appear together in Australia’s XI.
The opportunity opened up after Pat Cummins and then Josh Hazlewood were ruled out with injuries. When the XI was announced on Thursday, it was confirmed that Doggett would make his debut in the Ashes opener in Perth. Boland’s inclusion had been expected well in advance for the match starting Friday.
Before Boland’s arrival, Jason Gillespie was the only Indigenous Test cricketer to represent Australia. Gillespie, one of the country’s most successful fast bowlers, took 259 wickets in 71 Tests.
Fifteen years after Gillespie’s retirement, Australia finally found another Indigenous Test cricketer. Boland debuted in the 2021 Boxing Day Test of the Ashes, and his sensational spell of 6 for 7 in the second innings earned him Player of the Match. Since then, he has delivered whenever given the chance, though opportunities have been limited due to the dominance of the pace trio—Cummins, Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc. So far, Boland has 62 wickets in 14 Tests.
Now Doggett joins him. He first entered a Test squad seven years ago and has been included multiple times over the past year, but never played. His debut is finally happening—on the grandest stage. The 31-year-old quick has taken 190 wickets in 50 first-class matches.
Doggett will become Australia’s 472nd Test cricketer. The 473rd cap will also be handed out in this match, with Jake Weatherald earning his long-awaited debut.
The last time two Australians debuted together in a Test was in 2019 against Sri Lanka, when Curtis Patterson and Jhye Richardson received their Baggy Greens. In the Ashes, the last joint debut was in 2011 at the Sydney Test, when Usman Khawaja and Michael Beer played their first match.
This time, Weatherald will open the innings alongside Khawaja. The 31-year-old left-hander has played 77 first-class matches, scoring 5,322 runs with 13 centuries.
Weatherald and Doggett’s debut had become increasingly expected in recent days. The real question around Australia’s XI was the all-rounder spot—Cameron Green or Beau Webster. In the end, selectors went with Green.
After recovering from a back injury, Green spent a long period playing as a specialist batter. Recently, he returned to bowling in the Sheffield Shield, giving Australia confidence to back him in Perth.
Webster, meanwhile, can consider himself unlucky. In seven Tests for Australia, he has four fifties and averages nearly 35 with the bat. He has also taken eight wickets at an impressive 23.25. He even grabbed eight wickets in his latest Sheffield Shield match. But due to team balance, he had to make way.
