Weatherald has come as a surprise pick.
Who is Jake Weatherald? That’s the first question popping up since the batter has been named in the Australia Ashes 2025 squad. Despite consistently being a top performer, Weatherald has come as a surprise pick for the opening game.
Australia opted to drop Sam Konstas, who last opened for them in the West Indies, and Nathan McSweeney, who has fallen slightly behind in the pecking order. Both had unimpressive starts to the Sheffield Shield, while Weatherald continued his good run with the willow and scored at the right time. They also had the option of Matt Renshaw, who was recently called for ODIs.
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Jake Weatherald has been one of the most consistent domestic run-accumulators for a while, and his superior recent form was too good to ignore for the selectors. Last season, he was the leading run-getter in the Sheffield Shield, scoring 906 runs at an average of 50.33 in 18 innings. Additionally, he hit three centuries during this dream run.
He started the fresh season with consecutive fifties against Queensland before a gutsy 94 against Western Australia on a treacherous deck to stamp his authority. His scores in three matches in the Sheffield Shield read: 67, 57, 18, 94, 0, & 12. Overall, he has 5269 runs at an average of 37.63 in 143 innings, including 26 fifties and 13 centuries, in First Class cricket.
Jake Weatherald has also featured in 51 List A matches, accumulating 1602 runs at an average of 33.37 in 50 innings, comprising eight fifties and four centuries. He has also been consistent in the Big Bash League (BBL), with 2176 runs at an average of 25.60 and a strike rate of 131.24 in 92 outings, including 15 fifties and a century. When Adelaide Strikers won BBL 2017/18, the southpaw notched up a magnificent hundred in the final and was the third-leading run-scorer in the season.
At 31, Weatherald might be at his peak, which has forced the selectors to give him a chance ahead of non-performers. If there were any doubts around his quality, those must have been mitigated after how he performed in the opening three rounds of this year’s Sheffield Shield, where pitches have been far from ideal for batting.
Now that we have an answer to ‘Who is Jake Weatherald’, the question arises whether he will make it to the XI for the opener. Australia have named 14 members for the first Test, with Usman Khawaja, Jake Weatherald, and Marnus Labuschagne being top-order batters. For Australia, the discussion will centre on whether to continue with Cameron Green at No. 3 or reinstate Labuschagne to his original position.
When Labuschagne opened or was dropped, Green batted at No.3 and did relatively well in a fairly new role. However, Labuschagne has performed immensely well at this position in the Sheffield Shield and would want to continue at his original spot to contribute the most. If that happens, Weatherald will open with Usman Khawaja in Perth.
Australia have had two LHB openers when David Warner played, so that shouldn’t be an issue. Ideally, they should play all three and move Green somewhere at No.5 or 6 to maximise his batting potential. That will allow everyone to bat in their ideal positions and form a formidable batting unit.
If he gets the chance, Weatherald will become the oldest Test debutant since Scott Boland, who wreaked havoc in the previous home Ashes. Australia tend to hand late debuts, and Weatherald might be another on the list in the high-octane series. For now, he will be pleased with his reward for consistency after toiling for years in the domestic arena.
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