Perth [Melbourne], November 15 : Australian pacer Brendan Doggett, who is part of the first Ashes Test squad, is dreaming about a potential international debut this summer.
The 31-year-old is off to a great start in the Sheffield Shield for South Australia, having already picked up two five-wicket hauls in two matches and having bagged 13 wickets at an average of 14.69.
This form and fitness led to his selection in Australia's 15-man squad for the Perth Test, which skipper and pacer Pat Cummins will miss due to a back injury, and the side will be led by Steve Smith.
Even though he is unlikely to be picked ahead of Test regulars Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc and a red-hot Scott Boland, Doggett admitted that the thought of getting his baggy green cap has crossed his mind in the past week or so.
"I would be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about it ... does come across the mind a little bit every now and then when you have got some downtime," Doggett said on SEN Afternoons.
On Wednesday, Doggett's chances of playing the first Test appeared more likely as Josh Hazlewood faced a hamstring injury scare during his Shield match but was cleared. Doggett was thrilled to see the veteran avoid any major injury scare, even though it meant that he would be on the sidelines, noting that the team would not like to see anyone injured before the Ashes, especially Hazlewood, who has been "bowling beautifully".
"You do not want to see anyone getting injured before an Ashes series, especially not Hazlewood," Doggett said.
"He has been bowling beautifully in the white-ball series leading into this, so I think he is going to be a big part of the summer for Australia," he added.
This is the closest Doggett has been to his Test debut, but he had first made it to the Australian squad back in 2018, when he was with Queensland. However, since then, he has relocated to South Australia, prior to the start of the 2021/22 summer, and a stint with the team helped him revive his career after suffering soft tissue and stress fracture injuries.
Having overcome his fitness concerns, Doggett feels stronger and confident than ever.
"I sort of hit the ground running in my first season of Shield cricket, we won the shield with Queensland, and I ended up on a tour with the Australian Test team," Doggett said.
"From there, it was a bit of a rough road. I had a lot of stress fractures and then soft tissue injuries. It is fair to say that probably the last six years for me have been a bit of a battle with the body."
"I feel like I am in a really good place now, and it's just all come together at the right time. I have got confidence in my body. It is the best I have ever felt. It is the best I have ever bowled," he added.
Doggett admitted that a chance to play for Australia "would top it off" for him.
"Like I said, it's been a journey, but I would not change anything," Doggett said.
"If the opportunity does come, or even if it doesn't, I am really satisfied with what I have done in my career. I feel like I have done a lot in my domestic career. So, if I got the opportunity to play Test cricket for Australia, it would really top it off."
"I feel really proud to be part of this group, and to be in a 15-man squad is pretty amazing, I never thought I would be here, to be honest," he concluded.
In 50 first-class matches, Doggett has taken 190 wickets at an average of 26.46, with best figures of 6/15, including nine five-wicket hauls and a ten-fer.
Australia's First Test squad: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster.
England's squad: Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Mark Wood.
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