The ‘ultimate late-bloomer’ poised to become 472nd Aussie Test cricketer

Brendan Doggett, who’s quickly been dubbed cricket’s “ultimate late-bloomer,” is on the verge of becoming Australia’s 472nd Test star when the team runs out to start the 2025-26 Ashes in Perth on Friday morning.

With Josh Hazlewood (hamstring) and skipper Pat Cummins (back) before him sidelined for the time being, selectors are expected to turn to 31-year-old Doggett to join the Aussie attack in the arch-rivalry alongside quicks Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland.

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Doggett, who has claimed 190 first-class wickets in his domestic career, has exploded late on. Over the last four years, he’s been a cornerstone part of South Australia’s attack as the state has risen to win the Sheffield Shield; that stardom on the state level has earned him regular Australia callups, but it’s never been enough to get him that final leap.

That is, until these injuries in 2025 — and now he’s preparing for his Test debut on the biggest stage.

Should the debut come through, he’ll join a rare few to make a Test debut for Australia without having played a white-ball international in their 20s. Beau Webster did in January, joining Bryce McGain. (Possible opener Jake Weatherald could be another member soon, too.)

“[Doggett’s] path to a potential Baggy Green is not a common one in the modern game,” Jason Gillespie said on the radio this week. “It just shows the value of our local competitions, plying away and working on your craft.”

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Gillespie is certainly the man to be celebrating Doggett’s rise, too: He and Scott Boland are the only two Indigenous men to have played Test cricket for Australia. Should Doggett make the XI for Friday, he’ll make history as just the third ever. The 31-year-old will also be one of a select few to make the journey to the top from Toowoomba.

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“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,” Gillespie, who coached Doggett for South Australia, declared. “England will sniff an opportunity [without Cummins and Hazlewood in the squad], but I’m confident the Australian seam attack is good enough to get the job done.”

On the squad side, Michael Neser has also been added after Hazlewood was ruled out.