As tends to be the way with Australian selection these days, Jake Weatherald is on the older side at 31.
He has played the bulk of his red-ball cricket for South Australia, making 60 first-class appearances for them over six seasons.
However, his career has been kickstarted with a move to Tasmania in 2023-24 and his record has been strong there. Across 15 matches he’s made three centuries, averaging a tick under 45.
His returns specifically this season – 301 runs at 38 – are less impressive, with no centuries from his eight visits to the crease.
Weatherald is a pure opening batter, with all 145 of his innings in first-class cricket coming at the top of the order. In many ways he’s a classic left-handed opener, looking to score heavily square of the wicket, particularly through point; since joining Tasmania, he averages 136 with the cut shot.
However, he is a far more aggressive player than his opening partner Usman Khawaja.
Since moving to Tasmania two years ago, Weatherald’s first-class strike-rate is 68, the seventh quickest in the world among opening batters, and comparable to the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ben Duckett, and Zak Crawley – albeit at a lower level.
That strokeplay does naturally come with a counter – Weatherald’s defensive technique does come with questions.
In the last two Shield seasons, he’s been dismissed once every 41 defensive shots he plays, a significantly low figure for a specialist batter, let alone an opener – you can compare that with Marnus Labuschagne (154 defensive shots per dismissal) and Cameron Green (92) for context.
England have moved away from opposition analysis in recent times, but even basic research will unearth a pattern of dismissals for Weatherald.
Across his career against right-arm quicks, he much prefers bowling coming round the wicket, averaging 57 when they do so compared to 32 when they stay over the wicket.
Jofra Archer will be licking his lips, averaging just 18 against left-handers from that angle.
