Weatherald 'ready' for Test cricket, excitement around teen-prodigy Peake

Veteran Tasmania opener Jake Weatherald thinks he's ready to go if a Test call-up comes his way for the Ashes later this year while excitement is building around eighteen-year-old Victoria batter Oliver Peake after another impressive showing in his maiden red-ball appearance for Australia A.

The pair starred for Australia A alongside skipper Jason Sangha as the home side racked up 558 for 4 declared in a batting dominated draw in the second four-day match against Sri Lanka A in Darwin.

Their performances will come with the obvious caveat that runs were very easy to make at Marrara Cricket Ground with Sangha posting a career-best unbeaten 202 while Weatherald also made 183 and Peake posted 92 in just his second first-class game as only ten wickets fell across four full days of cricket. Sri Lanka A batters Nuwanidu Fernando and Pavan Rathnayake also scored centuries while four other half-centuries were scored in the game.

Weatherald believes he is ready to play Test cricket if called upon by the selectors for the Ashes series later this year after continuing his outstanding form across the last 12 months. Having been the leading runscorer in the Shield last year with 905 runs at an average of 50.33 with three massive centuries, he added 54 and 183 in his two innings for Australia A in this series.

"If you keep making runs, of course you're going to get noticed more - and I've done that," Weatherald said on Tuesday in Darwin after his innings of 183. "Obviously there's some great candidates there as well, and they've earned their right to be there.

"So to be amongst them is a pretty proud moment.

"But I'm batting well, and I think I'm ready to go if it comes to that moment."

Weatherald, 30, has long been one of the most talented ball-strikers in Australian domestic cricket but this is the first time he has averaged more than 41 over a 12-month stretch in his decade-long career. He said his cumulative experience is the reason for his consistent run.

"Just age, getting used to what I'm doing, understanding my game, understanding what I need to do to make runs and bat [for] long periods of time," Weatherald said.

"And just being confident I can do it in any conditions, just believing that I've got the right method and sticking to it throughout my innings and not being taken away by the wicket or the situation.

"Just being able to lock in and do my thing."

Sangha, 25, was impressed by Weatherald's preparation and mindset after playing with him for the first time in this series.

"He just looks so clear when he's batting," Sangha said after the match on Wednesday. "He's obviously been a strong player and a very talented player for a long time.

"He's well renowned as a guy who really pounces on width and picks up length quite early, and it just looks like he's made his strengths even stronger, and he's able to rectify maybe some areas in his game that maybe would have cost him a few more dismissals.

"He's been great to share the change room with and talk about what he's been doing the last 12 months, and how he's been going about it. And I think for young guys like an Ollie Peake and even myself, who are always striving for that consistency, to see how diligent he is with his routines, how diligent he is with his preparation.

"He just seems like he's in a really clear space and knows his game so well, and it's been a pleasure to watch him go about his business this week."

Meanwhile, there is some excitement building around Peake given he was playing just his second first-class match after making 52 on debut for Victoria in March. He also made 55 not out off 38 balls on List A debut for Australia A in the first 50-over match of Sri Lanka A's tour in Darwin.

Sangha, who himself has experienced the challenge of transitioning from being an Under-19 prodigy to becoming a consistent first-class player, marveled at how well Peake handled himself.

"He played really well," Sangha said after the match. "He's got so much maturity for a young player, and even just talking to him out in the middle about his plans and how he was approaching his innings, he's such an exciting talent, and he's got a really good head on his shoulders.

"I think even just off the field, just the way he sort of carries himself, credit to him.

"I look back when I was 18, and I was probably nowhere near as emotionally intelligent or mature as he is.

"It's a really, really cool thing to see, and he's obviously got some really good support around him, and such a down to earth, humble kid."

Peake's selection for Australia A alongside a group of batters who had earned their call-up through outstanding Shield performances last summer is proof of how highly he is rated by Australia's selectors. Peake was also taken on the recent Test tour of Sri Lanka as a development player to train with the Test squad.

He looms as a likely tourist on Australia A's tour of India later this year as Australia looks to give some younger players experience in spinning conditions with an eye towards the 2027 Test tour.