Weatherald’s Opening Spot Under the Microscope as Aus Looks Ahead

The Ashes were never guaranteed to reveal Australia’s next long-term opening partnership, but recent weeks have pushed Jake Weatherald firmly into the spotlight. With the selectors already looking toward the next Test window in August, his performances are being assessed with a sharper lens than expected.

Weatherald’s series has produced flashes of resilience mixed with frustration. His best moment came at the Gabba, where he stroked 72 off 78 and helped Australia take control. Yet across the series, recurring technical flaws have been repeatedly exposed, particularly against bowlers attacking him around the wicket. Six of his dismissals have come from that line, including four lbws in just nine innings.

Former coach Justin Langer offered a blunt technical assessment.

"If you look at Jake Weatherald, he's getting lower and lower in his stance and his head's way outside the line of his feet. Because of that, he's got to balance with his right foot, a common trait of batters whose head isn't in the right position in their stance, [and] he's falling over a lot.

And you can see it, the same dismissal, head's way over, very low. [He was] lbw in Perth, same in Adelaide, that fuller ball, his head's so far over, it's impossible to hit down the ground, where opening batters need to be looking to score, and again today."

Despite the scrutiny, Weatherald’s selection made sense at the time. He dominated domestic cricket, scored consistently for Australia A, and arrived with confidence. Even when pinned lbw by Jofra Archer early in the series, he responded by contributing to a decisive 75-run stand in a pressure chase. Humor hasn’t escaped him either, joking online after the MCG Test about signing more autographs than scoring runs.

But the reality is unavoidable: England’s bowlers have found patterns to exploit, and opportunities have slipped. His 21 at the SCG, after twice being dropped, summed up the dilemma. 

Meanwhile, Travis Head has reshaped the conversation entirely. With more than 500 runs at a strike rate above 75, he looks locked into the opener’s role moving forward. The real question now isn’t whether Head stays; it’s who walks out alongside him.

For Weatherald, the next stretch may be just as important as the one that has passed. He returns to Tasmania for Sheffield Shield cricket and remains a strong candidate for county opportunities. With Australia not scheduled for another Test until August against Bangladesh, both players and selectors have time to weigh everything carefully.