NEW DELHI: Australia are set to field two Indigenous cricketers in the same Test team for the first time. The hosts will face England in the first Ashes Test starting Friday at Optus Stadium in Perth.Stand-in captain Steve Smith confirmed the XI on Thursday, which includes fast bowler Brendan Doggett. The 31-year-old will make his Test debut with Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood unavailable due to injury.Scott Boland is already part of the XI, and Doggett’s selection means Australia will have two Indigenous players in a Test side for the first time. Before Doggett, only four Indigenous cricketers had played Test cricket for Australia — Faith Thomas, Jason Gillespie, Ash Gardner and Scott Boland.Doggett, from the Worimi community in eastern New South Wales, has taken 190 first-class wickets at an average of about 26.5.Batter Jake Weatherald will also debut and open the innings with Usman Khawaja.Smith spoke about both debutants ahead of the match.“He is very skillful. I think he’s improved a hell of a lot the last few years and I’m excited to see him go about his business,” Smith said of Doggett, news agency ANI reported, citing cricketdotcomdotau.“They were pretty tricky nets – fast, bouncy and a lot of seam – and he’s got a lot of courage. He just goes in there, I don’t think he faces any of the side-arms or anything, he wants to face bowlers the entire time and the guys were charging in, bowling fast. He took it on and he was getting in really good positions, and he goes about it a certain way,” Smith said about Weatherald.Australia’s XI for the first Test: Usman Khawaja, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Brendan Doggett, Scott Boland.
