Overview
- The 31-year-old left-handed opener received his first Test squad call-up for the opening Ashes match in Perth, confirming days of speculation about the role next to Usman Khawaja.
- Selection chair George Bailey told Weatherald the panel likes his method and believes he can put pressure on bowlers, urging him to be ready without changing his game.
- Weatherald led the 2024–25 Sheffield Shield with 906 runs at 50.33 and has 1,391 runs at 53.5 across his past 15 first-class innings, including scores of 54 and 183 for Australia A against Sri Lanka A in July.
- A move to Tasmania preceded a career resurgence after earlier mental-health breaks supported by SACA and coaches Jason Gillespie and Jamie Siddons, with additional work on mental performance.
- A debut is not assured as selectors weigh combinations that could include Marnus Labuschagne returning and Cameron Green’s bowling workload, though Khawaja has expressed support for partnering Weatherald.