After Tasmanians Jake Weatherald and Beau Webster were unable to make strong arguments against South Australia, it was unclear which six players would finish in the top six for the first Ashes Test.
On a green Bellerive Oval deck, South Australia pacer Brendan Doggett, who is also part of the 15-man Ashes team for Perth, showed why he is considered Australia’s next cab off the rank with a fantastic display of seam bowling (5 for 66).
In an attempt to make his Test debut as an opener, Weatherald was called in to bat but was dismissed for 23 in Tasmania’s 209 total.
Although all-rounder Webster had been excellent in his first seven Test matches for Australia, his innings of 13 did not increase his desire to hold onto his No. 6 spot in Perth next week. The 31-year-old’s lone previous Shield outing this season was for 11 and six, and he missed a month of cricket at the beginning of the summer due to a calf injury.
The selection of Weatherald or Marnus Labuschagne as an opener may determine his chances of being included in the Australia team for the first Test match in Perth. Webster would remain at number six if it were the latter, with fellow all-rounder Cameron Green most likely occupying the number three spot.
Weatherald hit two consecutive boundaries off of Liam Scott and was on his way to a third when he sliced a cut shot effort onto his stumps.
Webster had just pulled hard to the boundary and tried to snag Henry Thornton. He only managed to get a feather to reach Alex Carey.
Jordan Silk, the captain of Tasmania, reached his 6000th Shield run with an innings of 64. Silk had just caressed a cover drive to the boundary when he brought up his fifty with a slap-through point off Nathan McAndrew, who was severe through the off side.
With a full delivery that veered off the seam and was wonderfully taken by a diving Carey, Doggett dismissed Silk. A second five-wicket haul of the Shield season followed as he tore through the bottom order.
South Australia ended up 88 for 3. Travis Head, Australia’s number five hitter, only managed nine before losing to Webster. Carey and Henry Hunt will resume on Tuesday after Carey blasted to an undefeated 25 off just 20 balls.
The playing eleven against England was decided after Australia’s chair of selectors, George Bailey, stated that there was “still some information to gather” from the Sheffield Shield’s fourth round.
Bailey claimed that Weatherald’s aggressive knock on Monday was well-received by Australia’s brain trust.
“There is a method [about his batting] that we like and that is complementary to the other players around him in the squad,” Bailey explained.
“We’ve been talking to Jake a lot. Over the summer, there has been a lot of communication with him and he has played for a number of [Australia] A teams. The advice to continue doing it his way has always been given.
We are drawn to him because he puts terrible balls away and scores at a good pace. Without being over the top, he has an assertive approach.
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