Queensland pace bowler Mark Steketee has earned a call-up for the forthcoming Test series in Pakistan, replacing the injured Michael Neser. Meanwhile, South Australia pace bowler Brendan Doggett will be the standby for the three-match Test rubber.
Neser, who is also from Queensland, was ruled out after being laid low by a side strain in a Marsh One-Day Cup game in Brisbane. The uncapped Steketee was part of Australia’s extended squad for the tour of South Africa in 2021 before it was eventually called off. Steketee, who made his first-class debut versus Tasmania in February 2015, has bagged 182 wickets at 25.67 in first-class cricket. He has also snared 29 scalps at an impressive average of 16.31 in this season’s Sheffield Shield.
On the other hand, Doggett has 11 wickets at 21.45 in first-class cricket this season. The pace bowler also was a part of the Queensland set-up that won the Sheffield Shield in 2020-21 before moving over to South Australia in May last year. Incidentally, New South Wales’ Sean Abbott is also a standby for the tour.
The first Test of the three-match rubber will start on March 4 in Rawalpindi.
