‘Put on a show’: Darwin-born Weatherald faces big Test
Joel Gould |
Australia opener Jake Weatherald will play a Test match in Darwin with a modified technique that he will unveil against Bangladesh in a series of vital importance on a personal front.
The 31-year-old was born and raised in Darwin where his career kicked off after playing with Northern Territory Strike.
Of all the batters in the Australian side ahead of the two-Test series, his position is the most precarious.
Weatherald made his debut in last summer’s Ashes series and scored just 201 runs at 22.33 in five Tests, with his only half-century a vital 72 in the second Test in Brisbane.
Fox Cricket commentator Mark Waugh said of Weatherald that during the Ashes there were “a few worrying signs with his technique, falling over and getting hit on the pads a lot.
“I think he needs to rectify that, and I think he needs runs in these two Test matches to be picked for South Africa,” Waugh said.
Weatherald said that it was “a challenge, especially when people you respect say things about your batting”, but added the scrutiny was part and parcel of Test cricket.
“I think you are required to make runs anywhere you go,” Weatherald said.
“When someone like Mark Waugh says that, he is probably just stating the obvious, isn’t he? I have a good opportunity to play two games hopefully and make runs. If I don’t do that I put fate in someone else’s hands.”
Weatherald played county cricket for Leicestershire in a six-game stint in April and May when he made 483 runs at an average of 60.37. The highlight was an unbeaten 103 against Glamorgan.
It was a good opportunity to make tweaks to his technique against bowlers who used the English conditions to bowl fuller and target his stumps.
“The conditions there were very conducive to improving my technique. That was a great learning curve for me,” he said.
Since last summer Weatherald said he had made “a few tinkerings” to his technique and approach, while not forsaking the strengths that came to the fore in the Ashes.
“It was great to have a prolonged time to work on things I can get better at,” he said,.
“I have come back feeling ready and not feeling I have changed too much.”
The opportunity to score runs in Darwin is one that excites not just Weatherald but also the many Territorians who admire him.
“I am excited to get out there and put on a bit of a show, which I always try to do, and enjoy it as well,” he said.
“It is just a big moment for the Territory, being a Territorian player.
“I know how big of a deal it is for NT cricket and all the boys and girls come up and say what a big deal it is for them. It is not just for me, but for everyone else.”
AAP