Mitchell Johnson says the “alarm bells are ringing loud and clear” for Australia after injuries to senior bowlers have left an ageing attack stretched and forced selectors into early, difficult choices ahead of the Ashes.
Captain Pat Cummins (32) and seamer Josh Hazlewood (34) have been ruled out of the first Test at Perth’s Optus Stadium with back and hamstring issues respectively. Their likely replacements are Scott Boland (36) and uncapped Brendan Doggett (31), while Michael Neser (35) has been added to the squad following Hazlewood’s setback.
Johnson, writing in the West Australian, warned that losing two of Australia’s “big three” quicks — Cummins, Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc (35) — reshapes the series outlook. “When your leaders are all in their mid-to-late 30s and have heavy workloads banked, the odds eventually turn on you,” he wrote. “While losing Cummins to injury was already a blow, one injury to a frontline quick is manageable. Losing two out of the big three starts to rewrite the whole script for the Ashes. It narrows Australia’s margin for error and it forces selectors into decisions they’d hoped they wouldn’t have to make this early. It’s the sort of scenario that exposes the age profile of the squad more than anything else. The alarm bells are now ringing loud and clear regarding the future. That attack of Lyon, Boland, Starc and Hazlewood are all older than I was when I retired from international cricket.”
Spinner Nathan Lyon (37) and Starc will be the senior bowlers available at Optus Stadium; all-rounder Cameron Green (26) is the only squad member under 30.
Former Australia seamer Jason Gillespie backed Doggett if he is drafted into the XI, praising his pace and fitness. Speaking to ABC Radio, Gillespie said Doggett “is one of the quicker bowlers in Australia. He’s ready to go. He’s got a good motor, he’s a greyhound and is as fit as a fiddle.” Doggett would become the third Indigenous man to play Test cricket for Australia, after Gillespie and Boland.
Australian journalist Adam Collins told Sky Sports News that Doggett has been on the fringes for some time, having been in a Test squad as far back as 2018. “It is only the last couple of seasons where his Sheffield Shield numbers have been outstanding and he has forced himself to the front of the queue,” Collins said. “He is easy on the eye and glides to the crease… He nibbles the ball both ways. But anyone knows that it is different when you are out there in a cauldron of a Test match. There will be 55,000 people in on day one with all eyes on him. That is the bit you can’t know until you do it.”
Ashes series in Australia 2025-26 (All times UK and Ireland)
– First Test: Friday November 21 – Tuesday November 25 (2.30am) – Optus Stadium, Perth
– Second Test (day/night): Thursday December 4 – Monday December 8 (4.30am) – The Gabba, Brisbane
– Third Test: Wednesday December 17 – Sunday December 21 (12am) – Adelaide Oval
– Fourth Test: Thursday December 25 – Monday December 29 (11.30pm) – Melbourne Cricket Ground
– Fifth Test: Sunday January 4 – Thursday January 8 (11.30pm) – Sydney Cricket Ground
