Overview
- Australia named the uncapped 31-year-old in a 15-man group for the first Test in Perth on November 21.
- Selectors cited a sustained surge in red-ball output, including 1,391 runs at 53.5 across his past 15 first-class matches and Australia A scores of 54 and 183.
- Final XI makeup remains fluid, with Marnus Labuschagne in contention to open if team balance requires a reshuffle.
- Opinions differ among former players, with Mark Taylor backing Weatherald to start and Michael Vaughan saying he would have opened with Mitchell Marsh.
- Sam Konstas was left out after recent struggles, as Usman Khawaja shifted from publicly favoring Matt Renshaw to endorsing Weatherald’s inclusion.