Indigenous duo Boland, Doggett rock England in Ashes opener: Details
What's the story
Australia have put themselves in a strong position after bowling out England for just 164 runs in the third innings of the ongoing Ashes opener at Perth's Optus Stadium. While Scott Boland took four wickets in the innings, debutant pacer Brendan Doggett trapped three batters. Notably, both their bowlers belong to the Indigenous heritage. Their brilliance means Australia need just 205 runs to seal victory and take an early lead in the five-match series.
Batting woes
England's batting collapse
The England team had been cruising at 65/1 but then lost four wickets in quick succession thanks to Boland, Doggett, and Mitchell Starc. Joe Root (8), Harry Brook (0), and Ben Stokes (2) fell cheaply as well, leaving England reeling at 164 all out in their second innings. Gus Atkinson top-scored for England with a quickfire 37 off 32 balls. Ollie Pope (33) was the other batter to score over 30.
Player performances
Doggett and Boland share seven wickets
Doggett, the third Indigenous Australian to play Test cricket, made his mark by troubling England's middle order. He dismissed Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, and Jofra Archer to finish with 3/51 from nine overs. He claimed two wickets in his first outing as well. Boland, who went wicket-less on Day 1, also had a strong finish with 4/33 from 11.4 overs, including vital scalps of Ben Duckett, Pope, and Atkinson.
History!
A first in Australia's Test history
With Doggett debuting in the ongoing game, Australia are fielding two Indigenous cricketers in the same Test team for the first time. Boland is the other Indigenous player in the line-up. Meanwhile, the only other Indigenous player to play men's Tests for Australia is former pacer Jason Gillespie. Notably, Doggett got a chance with Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood being unavailable due to injuries.
Boland
Third four-fer for Boland in Tests
Across 15 Test matches, Boland has picked up 66 wickets at a sensational average of 16.96. He owns three four-fers and two fifers in the format. The right-arm pacer has picked 24 wickets across six Ashes Tests at an average of 20.75. Meanwhile, Boland has completed 50 Test wickets in Australia. He now has 53 wickets in this regard at 13.47.
Dogett
A look at Dogett's FC stats
Doggett made his First-Class debut in October 2017 and has since played 51 matches, taking an impressive 195 wickets at an average of 25-plus (5W; 9, 4W: 10). Doggett's recent form for South Australia has been instrumental in his selection for the Test squad. In Sheffield Shield matches this season, he has taken 78 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 21.7 and a strike-rate of 38.1.
Bowling brilliance
Starc's record-breaking 10-wicket haul
The remaining three wickets in the innings went to Mitchell Starc, who picked up his first Ashes 10-wicket haul and third overall in Test cricket. Having claimed a career-best 7/58 in his first outing, Starc backed it up with figures worth 3/55. With match figures of 10/113, Starc has become the first Australian seamer to take a 10-for in an Ashes Test since Craig McDermott's 11/157 at the same venue in 1990-91.