Weatherald eyes up home Test in Darwin after maiden series

Steve Smith said Jake Weatherald did "a good job" in his first Test series as the 31-year-old eyes a fairytale home Test in Darwin mid-year in Australia's next engagement. 

Having survived the latest Snicko controversy following a review for caught behind on 16, Weatherald managed 34 in Australia's second innings at the SCG before a top edge was well caught at fine leg to bring the curtain down on his maiden series. 

Weatherald finished with 201 runs at an average of 22.33 after playing all five Test matches, only passing 35 once as he posted a stylish half-century in the day-night Test at the Gabba.

Statistically his opening partnership with the in-form Travis Head is the most consistent for Australia since David Warner's retirement at the end of the 2023-24 home summer.

Australia have played seven different opening partnerships in the past two years, passing 50 runs for the first wicket seven times in that period.

Head and Weatherald were responsible for four of those stands.

"(Weatherald) got some really good starts, he would've loved to have gone on with those but he got us off to some flyers with Trav," Smith said.

"You can kind of build momentum off that, it softens the ball up and helps us all out."

Smith said on Thursday that Head was "pretty much locked away" to continue opening this year after a brilliant Ashes that yielded three centuries.

But he stopped short of saying Weatherald should definitely be given more chances at the top.

"He did a good job (in the Ashes) and it's obviously down to the selectors how they see fit for our next couple of games," Smith said.

Persisting with Weatherald in the short-term would mean playing the 31-year-old in Australia's next Test match series against Bangladesh in August.

That would likely include an emotional chance for Weatherald, who had to wait until he turned 31 for his Baggy Green, to play Test cricket in his home city of Darwin.

Weatherald is the first born-and-bred Northern Territorian to play Test cricket for Australia.

Damien Martyn was born in Darwin but relocated to Western Australia when he was young.

The opportunity to play Test cricket in Darwin comes very rarely - the city has only hosted two Tests, the last of those in 2004 - and Weatherald 

Sam Konstas, the uncapped Campbell Kellaway and Queensland's Matthew Renshaw are among other options for the top of the order should Australia selectors decide to look elsewhere as they prepare to play up to 21 Tests in 12 months from August that include two matches against Bangladesh and a three-Test tour of South Africa before a four-Test home series against New Zealand next summer, then a five-match tour of India early in 2027 as well as the 150th Anniversary Test at the MCG in March 2027 before a mid-year Ashes tour and possible World Test Championship final.

2025-26 NRMA Insurance Men's Ashes

First Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Second Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Third Test: Australia won by 82 runs

Fourth Test: England won by four wickets

Fifth Test: Australia won by five wickets

Australia squad (fifth Test): Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

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