Head and Weatherald’s union a long time in the making

Not long after Jake Weatherald made the move from Darwin down south to the big smoke to attend Adelaide's Prince Alfred College, the Year 11 student stroked what his school yearbook described as a "brilliant" 124 on Trinity College's main oval.

In the same match, an older Trinity boy also peeled off a hundred. His name was Travis Head.

The two centurions took divergent routes on cricket's pathway. Within two years of that 2010 match, Head made his first-class debut for South Australia as an 18-year-old. He was captain at 21, and playing for Australia at 22. By the same age, in 2016, Weatherald had fought his way into the SA team, but it took almost a decade and a move interstate for him to join Head in the Test side.

One took the elevator, the other went up the stairs. Now both 31, Weatherald and Head are the opening duo Australia stumbled into.

Forced together because of an injury to Usman Khawaja, Head and Weatherald’s rollicking burst on Friday at the Gabba marked their second 75-plus run opening stand in as many innings batting together. Both have been at a good clip too; they took just 13 overs to put on 77 here, having bashed 75 off 11 in Perth.

Compare that to England, who have posted opening stands of 0, 0 and 5 so far this tour, despite boasting a far more settled combination in Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, who have opened 58 times together.

"With Heady and Weathers at the top, they just grabbed the momentum, and the rest of us piggy backed up off the back of that and kept going," Marnus Labuschagne told Fox Cricket after his side went to stumps on 6-378, ahead of England by 44.

"Everyone that came in had that good intent."

As it stands, Australia’s run-rate of 5.17 is their fastest ever in a Test innings longer than 60 overs.

Andrew McDonald and the Aussie brains trust have made no secret of their desire to find an attacking opener who can complement Khawaja's measured approach.

In Weatherald, the Sheffield Shield journeyman, and Head, their middle-order basher, they have found two.

Not that Weatherald necessarily sees himself as a blaster.

"I was really happy with the way I left today. I think that's a big part of my game," said Weatherald. "People obviously think about me scoring quickly and but as an opener I pride myself on how well I leave.

"I feel as though that I can adapt to different scenarios. Most the innings I've started off actually quite slowly and then gotten into my innings, which I'm really happy with.

"Some innings I might have to grind away and leave really well for a whole day, so I'm really happy with that."

This unforeseen union has been a while in the making.

From the 15 Tests Australia played between David Warner's retirement in January 2024 and the beginning of this summer, they managed only three 50-plus run opening stands.

That those three partnerships all involved Khawaja batting with different partners (Steve Smith, Sam Konstas and Head) tells a story in itself; Australia have failed to find a regular partner for their high-functioning veteran opener.

Going back to their school days, and subsequent time playing together for South Australia, Head and Weatherald have developed an instinctive relationship. On day two in Perth, Head insisted on facing the fourth-innings' first ball knowing his debutant partner was still smarting from a second-ball duck in the first dig.

As Weatherald pointed out, as much as has been made about the aggressive approach of both, particularly Head following his rapid Perth hundred, their fireworks have been unlocked by early watchfulness and an insistence of taking time to assess conditions.

In the first Test, Head's domination of the England bowlers came after he has scored just three from his first 14 balls. Weatherald, trying to keep his head above water going into day two on a pair, remained watchful as Head reached 49 before he had passed 20.

"He takes so much pressure off you," Weatherald told the ABC. "Everyone’s just focused on him, it helps me out a lot."

At the Gabba, their roles were reversed. This time Head took Jofra Archer’s first over and sought to limit the damage. The pair faced three maidens to begin their reply to England's 334, managing just seven scoring shots in the first seven overs.

Weatherald then got away with three boundaries in five balls off Gus Atkinson. He raced to 23 off first 25 balls, as Head scratched out only 4 off his first 27. He had taken on a more important job; negating England's strike weapon. Archer bowled just four balls to Weatherald in his five-over new-ball burst.

"Heady did do a lot of hard work today, he had to get through Jofra in the first part. We know how good he is as a bowler with that new ball with his extra pace," said Weatherald, who was eventually lbw to Archer for 72 off 78 balls.

"He did an amazing job. He sat down one end and took four overs off him, which was massive for me and it's massive for the game really too.

"Joff is obviously a high class and sometimes you've got to respect good bowlers, and that's what we did quite well today."

Beyond Brisbane, it is not out of the question that Head could return to the middle order when Khawaja recovers from injury to pair Weatherald with the soon to be 39-year-old.

But McDonald and co now have an alternative to consider.

2025-26 NRMA Insurance Men's Ashes

First Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Second Test: December 4-8, The Gabba, Brisbane (D/N), 3pm AEDT

Third Test: December 17-21: Adelaide Oval, 10:30am AEDT

Fourth Test: December 26-30: MCG, Melbourne, 10:30am AEDT

Fifth Test: January 4-8: SCG, Sydney, 10:30am AEDT

Australia squad (second Test only): Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Harry Brook (vc), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue, Mark Wood