Mitchell Johnson has warned that ‘alarm bells are ringing loud and clear’ for Australia after injuries to senior quicks have left an ageing attack stretched and forced selectors into difficult early decisions 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 problems respectively. Scott Boland (36) and uncapped Brendan Doggett (31) are the likely immediate replacements, while Michael Neser (35) has been added to the squad following Hazlewood’s setback.
Johnson wrote in the West Australian that losing two of Australia’s ‘big three’ — Cummins, Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc (35) — alters the series picture. He warned that when your lead bowlers are in their mid-to-late 30s with heavy workloads behind them, the margin for error narrows. One frontline quick missing can be managed, he said, but losing two begins to ‘rewrite the whole script’ and highlights the squad’s age profile.
If selected for Perth, Nathan Lyon (37) and Starc will be the senior bowlers available, with all-rounder Cameron Green (26) the only member of the squad under 30. That makes the choice of replacements and how the attack is managed a pivotal early test for the Australian side.
Former seamer Jason Gillespie backed Doggett if he is drafted into the XI, praising the pacy seamer’s fitness and rhythm. Speaking to ABC Radio, Gillespie described Doggett as ‘one of the quicker bowlers in Australia’ with a strong work-rate. A Test debut would also see Doggett become the third Indigenous man to play Test cricket for Australia, following Gillespie and Boland.
Journalist Adam Collins noted to Sky Sports News that Doggett has been on the fringes for some time — having been part of a Test squad as far back as 2018 — but that his recent Sheffield Shield form has pushed him forward. Collins said Doggett is ‘easy on the eye’ and bowls with both angles, but cautioned that the cauldron of a Perth Test, with roughly 55,000 spectators expected on day one, is a different challenge that only experience can teach.
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