Imagine facing the world's fiercest bowlers, knowing one mistake could define your career. That's the pressure Aussie rookie Jake Weatherald faces as he takes on what many consider Test cricket's 'toughest job': opening the batting. But how does he prepare for such a daunting task? His unusual routine might surprise you.
On a quiet Saturday morning at the SCG, away from the roar of the crowds, Weatherald was spotted alone on the hallowed turf, armed with only his bat. The groundskeepers were already meticulously preparing the pitch for the upcoming Ashes Test, painting the crease and mowing the grass after the morning drizzle had cleared.
Weatherald, however, wasn't interested in admiring their work. Instead, he positioned himself on an adjacent pitch, just a few meters from where the Ashes battle would unfold. He began his unique pre-match ritual, a routine as crucial to him as the perfect length ball is to a fast bowler. He tapped his bat on the ground, assumed his characteristic, slightly unorthodox stance, glanced up at the imaginary bowler, and then... he left the imaginary delivery alone. No swing, no edge, just a confident leave. He briefly stepped away, recomposed himself, and repeated the process. Another leave.
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But Weatherald's preparation wasn't just about leaving the ball. He soon expanded his repertoire, unleashing a couple of forward defensives, a delicate glance towards mid-wicket, and some assertive cuts. This pre-game visualization, this shadow-batting in the middle, is a cornerstone of his match preparation. He's been doing it before every Test this summer, drawing inspiration from another Australian opener, the legendary Matthew Hayden, who swore by a similar habit during his own illustrious career. And this is the part most people miss: it's not just about feeling the bat in his hands; it's about mentally preparing for every possible scenario.
Intriguingly, even when playing a simple forward defense in his routine, Weatherald will occasionally glance towards the slips cordon, as if the ball had unexpectedly deviated and brushed the shoulder of his bat. It's a subtle, almost imperceptible movement, but it speaks volumes about his attention to detail and his commitment to anticipating every potential challenge.
"I get out four times when I’m visualising," he joked last month when discussing his pre-match routine. "It gets me in a good space and saves probably a few wangers and a few net bowlers a bit of toil.” Think of it as a mental rehearsal, allowing him to make mistakes in his mind, learn from them, and avoid repeating them on the field under pressure.
Asked how long he had been practicing this routine, Weatherald replied, "Ever since I’ve gotten better." He elaborated, "Probably three years now, to be fair. Three years of consistency, and I’ve developed my own pre-game routines, which has been cool.”
Since moving to Tasmania in 2023, Weatherald has emerged as a consistent force in the Sheffield Shield, and his shadow-batting might be a contributing factor. The 2024/25 summer was a real standout for the Darwin native. He finished as the competition's leading run-scorer, boasting an impressive strike rate of 68.27, which was comfortably the highest among all openers in the competition. He scored the majority of those runs at Bellerive Oval, arguably the most bowler-friendly pitch in Australia.
Weatherald's timing couldn't have been better. With Australia still searching for a long-term replacement for David Warner ahead of this summer’s Ashes campaign, the 31-year-old received his baggy green in November, making his Test debut in the series opener in Perth. In his second Test, a pink-ball contest in Brisbane, he smashed a quick-fire 72 off just 78 balls, marking his maiden fifty in the game's longest format. After a two-year merry-go-round at the top of the order, it seemed Australia had finally discovered Warner's successor.
But here's where it gets controversial... Weatherald's form dipped sharply after that promising start. He posted scores of 18, 1, 10, and 5 in his subsequent two Tests. In Adelaide, he chose not to review an LBW decision that replays later showed had pitched outside leg stump, a costly error in judgment. And during the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, he left a delivery from England captain Ben Stokes that crashed into the top of his off stump. He also has a tendency to fall over his front leg, a weakness that England speedster Jofra Archer ruthlessly exploited during the first two Tests.
Having averaged just 20.85 this summer, Weatherald has yet to solidify his place in the Test starting XI. Talented players like Matthew Renshaw, Sam Konstas, and Campbell Kellaway are waiting in the wings, eager for their opportunity. With Australia not scheduled to play another Test match until August after this week's New Year's Ashes contest in Sydney, Weatherald is vulnerable to being dropped if he struggles in the second half of the Sheffield Shield season.
The jury is still out on whether he possesses the qualities of a long-term Test opener. However, it's worth noting that several other top-order players, including Marnus Labuschagne and Ben Duckett, have also struggled this summer, highlighting the challenging conditions for batsmen.
"He came and did really well. Now he’s had a few innings that he missed out,” the retiring Usman Khawaja told reporters at the SCG on Friday. "Hopefully he’ll get back on the horse and score runs again, but Test cricket’s a different beast.”
Thanks to Australia's seaming pitches and the revamped Kookaburra ball, which features extra lacquer and a more pronounced seam, opening the batting in Australia has become even more difficult since the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the last six years in Australia, Test openers have averaged 29.10, compared to 42.36 in the previous six years.
"Top-order batting is as tricky as I’ve seen in the last four years," Australian interim captain Steve Smith told reporters at the SCG on Saturday. "They changed the pitches at the same time they changed the cricket ball to the harder, extra lacquer, bigger seam … the two variables at the same time have obviously made it tricky. You’ve seen bowling averages come down, batting averages come down… but as players, all we can do is play what’s in front of us and do it to the best of our ability.”
That's why Khawaja, who has batted in every position from No. 1 to No. 6 for the national team, considers opening the batting the "toughest role by far" in Test cricket. “It’s not just tough on the field. It’s tough on the brain,” Khawaja said. “You wake up in the morning and you don’t know if you’re going to be batting or fielding. But either way, you’re going to be on the field, so you’re literally switched on for like five hours, four hours before the game. You have to be. There is a mental element to opening, which people, unless you’ve opened, you can’t relate to it. Until you actually go and do it, it’s hard to know who can actually get used to that.” He added, “I have to face a new ball. I have to do all this hard work, and sometimes I just nick off when I get 20. Then a spinner comes on when I get out, and I’m pulling my hair out. I missed out on facing the spinner. I did all this hard work for two hours.”
Weatherald’s arrival in Test cricket coincided with Travis Head's promotion to the top of the order, with the South Australian smashing rapid centuries in Perth and Adelaide. The duo share a similar skillset, both being aggressive left-handers who are dangerous through point and put pressure back on the bowlers. Australia’s greatest opening partnerships of the modern era – Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden, Simon Katich and Shane Watson, Chris Rogers and David Warner – have all featured a player capable of soaking up pressure and reliably surviving the new ball, a role Khawaja has fulfilled since the start of 2022.
After nearly 24 months of searching for a Warner replacement, two candidates suddenly emerged. National selectors now face the challenge of determining whether the Australian Test side needs two Warner clones at the top of the order.
If Australia sticks with Weatherald, he will face a demanding 2026/27 season that includes Test tours of South Africa, India, and England. His credentials will become clearer in these away conditions. "I would never judge an opener purely based on a few games, whether it’s Jake or Heady,” Khawaja continued. “You judge him over a year or two, because that’s when you really see whether these guys are fit for opening. Because it’s the mental disintegration that happens over a long period of time, which makes it really tough. You just have to be a little bit patient.”
Ironically, chief selector George Bailey, a fellow Tasmanian, also made his Test debut during a triumphant Ashes series on home soil, but was dropped following the final match in Sydney and never picked again. The sympathetic Bailey may not want Weatherald to suffer the same fate. Still, with a decade of domestic experience under his belt, it's hard to argue that he is just a work in progress.
The fifth and final Ashes Test gets underway at the SCG on Sunday at 10:30 am AEDT.
So, what do you think? Does Weatherald have what it takes to succeed as a long-term Test opener, or is his unusual preparation just a quirky habit? And is it fair to judge a player based on a few innings, or should selectors show more patience? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
