Not long after George Bailey told him he was in Australia’s squad for the first Ashes Test, Jake Weatherald arrived early to Hobart’s Bellerive Oval to have a net in the indoor centre on Wednesday morning.
Weatherald’s lips were sealed. The teammate who trained with him for about an hour had no idea he was in the presence of the man Tasmania hope will become Australia’s 472nd men’s Test player later this month.
The news then broke not long after during the Tigers’ main training session. The left-hander turned 31 on Tuesday but this was the best birthday present he could have received.
“There was a big round of applause and some cuddles and claps and a lot excitement for him,” Tasmania coach Jeff Vaughan said.
Weatherald’s mother, Libby, and step-dad, Ian, celebrated the news while on holiday in Osaka. If the cards fall Weatherald’s way, they could see him face the first ball of the Ashes in a little over a fortnight’s time at Perth Stadium.
Bailey, a favourite son of the Apple Isle, explained his selection panel had been impressed by Weatherald’s clear outlook at the batting crease. The opener maintained that calm façade when he received the life-changing news.
“Most guys are pretty calm about it,” Bailey said. “You’re going to have to ask him how he was on the inside.”
Tasmania’s only headache now is the potential showdown Weatherald’s selection sets up with their other Test squad member, Beau Webster. For both to play against England, one of Cameron Green or Marnus Labuschagne would likely need to miss.
A Weatherald debut would be a big deal for another small Australian region. It is believed the Darwin product would be the first born-and-bred Northern Territorian (Darwin-born Damien Martyn left the NT at a young age) to pull on the Baggy Green.
“We are absolutely thrilled for Jake, and his family, as he moves very close now to becoming the first Northern Territorian to ever wear the Baggy Green cap,” NT Cricket chief executive Gavin Dovey said.
“Jake’s story is one of incredible hard work, sacrifice, courage and resilience to get to this point. The entire NT Cricket community is very proud of him and right behind him. Hopefully he gets the final nod into the XI in Perth, he deserves it.”
Weatherald was always going to be a standout when Australia’s brains trust sat down to pick their first squad to face England this summer.
From 15 first-class matches since the start of the 2024-25 domestic season, the left-hander has piled on 1,391 first-class runs at 53.50. Only two Australians with at least 500 runs in that period, Jason Sangha (68.56) and Alex Carey (53.93), and have higher averages.
Weatherald cashes in to further push Test claims
It is a fair comeback from his rocky first season in Hobart. Weatherald played just one Shield game in his first season after leaving South Australia during the preceding ’23-24 season as Caleb Jewell, Tim Ward and Charlie Wakim were all preferred over him.
“We play a fickle game at times, don’t we?” said Vaughan. Both he and Weatherald have spoken openly about how they navigated him exploring a state switch at the end of that summer before the left-hander ultimately stayed put.
His dominant 906-run Shield season, plus scores of 54 and 183 against Sri Lanka A in his maiden appearances for Australia A in, coincidentally, Darwin earlier this year, became too much to ignore.
His attacking instincts, as much as his volume of runs, won him the berth.
“That’s what’s attractive to us, that he scores at a nice rate,” said Bailey. “He puts bad balls away. He’s looking to score. He’s aggressive without being over the top. It’s just the way he plays the game.
“The (selection) discussion … was just centered around the method and the way we’d like that player to play, how they play naturally, and then how we feel like that might complement other players that are potentially around him.
“It’s a pretty solid record for 18-24 months. I don’t think there was any one innings (that won the panel over), but there’s been a good consistency in the way that he approaches his batting.
“I think he’s in a really clear place. We don’t see any sort of shifting innings to innings in the way he goes about it.
“That says to me that he’s someone who has a clear understanding of the way they want to play and the way they feel like they’ll get the best performances out of themselves.”
All of that has been a major focus in recent times for Weatherald, who has committed to a style of consistent style of play after some up-and-down years in South Australia.
Vaughan has lauded him for taking the same approach whether he is facing the first or last ball of the day.
“If there’s a cover drive or a pull shot in the first over or the first ball of the Ashes, I’ve got no doubt Jake will back himself to play that and hit whoever it might be for four,” said Vaughan.
“But if it’s a need to bunker down for a period of time, he can certainly do that.”
2025-26 NRMA Insurance Men’s Ashes
First Test: November 21-25, Perth Stadium, 1.30pm AEDT
Second Test: December 4-8, The Gabba, Brisbane (D/N), 3.30pm AEDT
Third Test: December 17-21: Adelaide Oval, 11am AEDT
Fourth Test: December 26-30: MCG, Melbourne, 10.30am AEDT
Fifth Test: January 4-8: SCG, Sydney, 10.30am AEDT
Australia squad: (First Test only): Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster
England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Harry Brook (vc), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue, Mark Wood
